TULSA, Okla. — One person was killed and another injured Friday after a vehicle crashed into the back of a construction truck along westbound Interstate 44 near the Highway 75 interchange, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Troopers identified the driver who died as 59-year-old Rex Benson. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to OHP’s investigation, a construction service vehicle had pulled onto the shoulder near 33rd West Avenue, just before Exit 223C, to clear debris from the roadway. Authorities said the truck’s lights were flashing and its arrow board was activated to alert oncoming traffic that it was stopped in the active construction zone.
Investigators said Benson’s vehicle crashed into the rear of the construction truck for reasons that remain under investigation. Officials are still working to determine how fast Benson was traveling at the time of the crash and what factors may have contributed.
A worker inside the construction vehicle sustained significant injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment. Troopers said a passenger inside the construction truck is expected to be OK.
The crash occurred in an active construction zone where speeds are reduced to 60 miles per hour. The incident caused major traffic backups stretching for several miles westbound, at one point reaching past the Arkansas River toward Riverside Drive.
All westbound lanes of I-44 reopened around 1 p.m. Friday. The investigation remains ongoing.
