Overturned tanker spills crude oil, closes highway
A portion of the Inner Dispersal Loop was closed for almost six hours after a tanker truck crashed, spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil, Thursday morning.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers and Tulsa police officers responded to the wreck on the ramp from eastbound Interstate 244 to the L.L. Tisdale Expressway just after 7 a.m.
The Tiga Logistics tanker was carrying 8,000 gallons of crude oil, more than half of which flowed south down the ramp and soaked into a sloped, grass median as hazardous materials crews from the Tulsa Fire Department and the Environmental Protection Agency worked to contain the spill, Tulsa Police Cpl. Phil Snow said.
Dozens of emergency personnel were at the scene as trenches were dug to prevent the spill from contaminating a nearby water drain.
The 44-year-old truck driver was taken by ambulance to the Oklahoma State University Medical Center, where he was admitted in fair condition, an EMSA representative said.
The crash appeared to have been caused by the truck's speed and several threadbare tires, police said. The driver, who is from California, is expected to be cited for both violations.
- AMANDA BLAND, World Staff Writer
Firefighters revive man found not breathing in fire
Firefighters responded to two apartment fires early Thursday, including one during which they revived a man who was not breathing.
When they arrived at the Eagle Point Apartments, 5808 E. 71st St., about 1:45 a.m., firefighters found light smoke inside a downstairs apartment, Fire Capt. Stan May said.
An unconscious man was rescued from a bedroom after firefighters forced the door open and found him in bed, May said. He was resuscitated after Tulsa Fire Department medics determined that he was not breathing.
The man had burns on his hands and buttocks, authorities said.
The fire was contained to the bedroom, and other residents in the building were allowed to return to their units, May said.
Investigators said the fire was accidentally set by a cigarette.
An hour later, an apparent electrical malfunction caused $10,000 worth of damage to an apartment building at the Casa Linda complex, 1341 E. 62nd St.
The source of the blaze was a combination light fixture and fan on a first-floor bathroom ceiling, May said.
May said a smoke detector in the unit enabled firefighters to be called and respond to the fire before more extensive damage was sustained.
One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, he said.
The Tulsa Area Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to assist three occupants.
- AMANDA BLAND, World Staff Writer
Broken Arrow woman dies after being hit by vehicle
BROKEN ARROW - A Broken Arrow woman was killed in an auto-pedestrian collision Wednesday evening.
Shawn Davis, 40, was walking north across Kenosha (71st) Street just west of Lynn Lane Road (177th East Avenue) when she was struck by a 1992 GMC Ventura van about 7:30 p.m., police said.
Davis walked into the path of the eastbound vehicle, Sgt. Ed Ferguson said in a news release.
She was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, according to the news release.
The van's driver, Rusty Sutton, 43, of Broken Arrow, was not injured, and there was no indication of improper action by him, Ferguson said.
The collision was the second fatal auto-pedestrian accident in Broken Arrow within the last week.
Robert Wallace Pitcher, 43, was hit by a pickup as he was walking east on Washington (91st) Street near Dogwood Place about 11:30 p.m. last Friday, police reported.
- AMANDA BLAND, World Staff Writer
Search to continue Friday for body in Oologah Lake
OOLOGAH - The search for a man who fell into the water when a boat capsized on Oologah Lake will resume Friday morning, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported Thursday night.
Jeremy D. Brewer, 35, of Inola never resurfaced after the 16-foot Charger bass boat he was in was swamped by a wave in high winds about noon Thursday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
The boat was operated by Olen Brewer, 56, of Oologah and also occupied by Damen Brewer, 30, also of Oologah, according to the Highway Patrol.
Family members told KJRH, Channel 2, that Olen Brewer is Jeremy Brewer's uncle and Damen Brewer's father.
The boat was going south from the lake's Will Rogers Cove in high winds that whipped up the waves, the Highway Patrol reported. A large wave came over the bow, causing the boat to take on water and begin to sink, troopers said.
Olen and Damen Brewer were able to reach personal flotation devices and tried unsuccessfully to get one to Jeremy Brewer, the OHP reported. The two with the devices were able to get to shore, but Jeremy Brewer went under in approximately 25 feet of water and never resurfaced, troopers said.
Olen Brewer had inflammation of the lungs due to inhaling lake water and was flown to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, where he was admitted, the OHP reported.
Damen Brewer was treated for a shoulder injury at the same hospital and released, troopers said.
Authorities searched the water for Jeremy Brewer's body until it was too dark to see and said recovery operations will resume Friday morning.
- FROM STAFF REPORTS
