Semi Hauling Cars Dumps Load Off I-44 In Rogers County

A collision between two semi tractor trailer trucks closed down a lane of Interstate 44 in Rogers County Tuesday afternoon. The road has since been reopened.

One semi, which was hauling cars, apparently hydroplaned on the wet road and hit another semi. Both went off the road.

The car hauler - with everything from a new BMW to an old Jeep on board - rolled in the median of I-44. They didn't come loose - but that didn't help. They're still wrecked.

It happened in Catoosa, near the Casino, in the westbound lanes where the road has a curving bridge. John Nowlen from Oklahoma City was driving his rig behind the car hauler.

"It was almost like he was on ice, like his front end started skipping and he got too far in front of me and I was trying to come to the middle," Nowlen said.

Nowlen's truck hit the car hauler semi on the side. The driver of that truck, from California, wasn't hurt.

"My truck, my trailer started hydroplaning and it jackknifed, swung up to the side and hit me, and this guy was coming and hit my door and flew over there and I'm just by the grace of God, glad for my life," said truck driver Jimmy Hernandez.

The cars were being hauled from Massachusetts to California. The other truck was loaded with metal parts bound for Oklahoma City.

"He just started bouncing and next I know, I tried to shoot off, but by that time his tractor was like that and bam," Nowlen said.

Both trucks ended up in the muddy median - and it took hours to pull them out and clean up the mess. The highway patrol says it was a case of a driver going too fast for the conditions.

"With the rain we've been having, enormous amounts of rain, too fast for conditions, he should have slowed down a little more, there are warning signs back there," said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Matt Logsdon.

The highway patrol says the driver of the car hauler was going too fast for conditions. Neither of the drivers was hurt.