oKiE281
10-02-2006, 02:46 PM
My condolences to Trooper McClendon's Family and friends.
I-44 Collision: Two Dead: Accident kills trooper
By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
10/2/2006
Truck driver also dies; eastbound lanes are closed for hours
CLAREMORE -- An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and a truck driver were killed Sunday after the trooper's 2006 Dodge Charger patrol car and a tractor-trailer rig collided on the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Claremore.
Trooper William L. McClendon, 37, died at the scene. The 25-year-old Columbus, Ohio, truck driver, whose name was not released Sunday night, was taken by helicopter St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, where he was pronounced dead.
The crash occurred at 1:21 p.m. near mile marker 260 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 44, or about six miles northeast of Claremore, said OHP spokeswoman Kera Philippi.
Details of the crash were not available Sunday night, and investigators were still trying to determine the accident's cause, she said.
A preliminary report indicated that the truck driver died of massive internal injuries after being thrown approximately six feet from the tractor-trailer, a 2002 Peterbilt, during the crash.
Eastbound traffic on the turnpike was shut down for nearly seven hours and reduced to one lane westbound.
Shortly after 8 p.m., the eastbound inside lane was reopened, Philippi said. The other
eastbound lane was expected to remain closed until at least midnight.
At the scene, the tractor-trailer rig, loaded with bottled drinks, lay on its side, blocking both eastbound lanes. Skid marks began in the left lane, veered to the left toward a concrete wall, then careened into the right lane, ending at the overturned truck.
Pickup trucks towing trailers, recreational vehicles, tractor-trailer rigs and almost any vehicle that could not turn around on the interstate were lined up for nearly two miles in the eastbound lanes. Many of the vehicles' drivers congregated, waiting for the highway to reopen.
McClendon, who lived in Mounds, was a graduate of the 50th Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy in 1998, Philippi said. He had worked for the patrol for eight years.
McClendon leaves behind a wife and three children, ages 17, 13 and 10, she said.
"We're a very tight-knit family," Philippi said of the trooper's death.
"It really hits home. We deal with fatalities every day, but it really hits home."
McClendon was a member of Troop XE, assigned to patrol the Creek Turnpike, Philippi said.
Shortly before the accident, McClendon was responding to a call for assistance, Philippi said, but the call had been canceled when the accident occurred.
In 1993, McClendon, then a police officer, was appointed as acting chief of the Mounds Police Department.
In 2000, McClendon received awards for leading his troop in making arrests for driving under the influence, with a total of 94. He also was honored for issuing almost 450 citations for seat-belt violations, and giving numerous safety education presentations, according to the OHP Web site.
Philippi asked that anyone who saw the crash or stopped to assist to call the patrol at 1-866-OHP-TIPS or Troop B headquarters at (918) 627-0440
I-44 Collision: Two Dead: Accident kills trooper
By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
10/2/2006
Truck driver also dies; eastbound lanes are closed for hours
CLAREMORE -- An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and a truck driver were killed Sunday after the trooper's 2006 Dodge Charger patrol car and a tractor-trailer rig collided on the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Claremore.
Trooper William L. McClendon, 37, died at the scene. The 25-year-old Columbus, Ohio, truck driver, whose name was not released Sunday night, was taken by helicopter St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, where he was pronounced dead.
The crash occurred at 1:21 p.m. near mile marker 260 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 44, or about six miles northeast of Claremore, said OHP spokeswoman Kera Philippi.
Details of the crash were not available Sunday night, and investigators were still trying to determine the accident's cause, she said.
A preliminary report indicated that the truck driver died of massive internal injuries after being thrown approximately six feet from the tractor-trailer, a 2002 Peterbilt, during the crash.
Eastbound traffic on the turnpike was shut down for nearly seven hours and reduced to one lane westbound.
Shortly after 8 p.m., the eastbound inside lane was reopened, Philippi said. The other
eastbound lane was expected to remain closed until at least midnight.
At the scene, the tractor-trailer rig, loaded with bottled drinks, lay on its side, blocking both eastbound lanes. Skid marks began in the left lane, veered to the left toward a concrete wall, then careened into the right lane, ending at the overturned truck.
Pickup trucks towing trailers, recreational vehicles, tractor-trailer rigs and almost any vehicle that could not turn around on the interstate were lined up for nearly two miles in the eastbound lanes. Many of the vehicles' drivers congregated, waiting for the highway to reopen.
McClendon, who lived in Mounds, was a graduate of the 50th Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy in 1998, Philippi said. He had worked for the patrol for eight years.
McClendon leaves behind a wife and three children, ages 17, 13 and 10, she said.
"We're a very tight-knit family," Philippi said of the trooper's death.
"It really hits home. We deal with fatalities every day, but it really hits home."
McClendon was a member of Troop XE, assigned to patrol the Creek Turnpike, Philippi said.
Shortly before the accident, McClendon was responding to a call for assistance, Philippi said, but the call had been canceled when the accident occurred.
In 1993, McClendon, then a police officer, was appointed as acting chief of the Mounds Police Department.
In 2000, McClendon received awards for leading his troop in making arrests for driving under the influence, with a total of 94. He also was honored for issuing almost 450 citations for seat-belt violations, and giving numerous safety education presentations, according to the OHP Web site.
Philippi asked that anyone who saw the crash or stopped to assist to call the patrol at 1-866-OHP-TIPS or Troop B headquarters at (918) 627-0440