Highway crashes kill 2 in Tulsa, Creek counties

By John Dobberstein, Editor

Two people were killed early Tuesday in separate crashes in Creek and Tulsa counties, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. 

At 2:09 a.m., a driver was headed eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 44 at South Yale Avenue in a Dodge Charger when it collided with a Peterbilt semi tractor-trailer.  

The driver of the Charger, who was pinned for nearly 2 hours before being extricated by the Tulsa Fire Department, died at the scene from massive injuries. The identity of the driver was withheld pending positive identification by the Tulsa County Medical Examiner's Office. 

The semi driver, 54-year-old Joseph Crenshaw of Canon City, Colo., was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa for treatment of minor injuries and released. 

About 2 hours later, a Tulsa man died after losing control of his vehicle on the Turner Turnpike west of Bristow. 

OHP said 41-year-old Deaon L. Johnson, 41, was headed westbound when his 2002 GMC Envoy vehicle departed to the right, rolled approximately three times and came to rest on its top. Johnson was ejected from the vehicle some 79 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Fatality collision occurred 02/14/2023 at approximately 0402 hours on the Turner Turnpike westbound near the 192 mile marker approximately 4 miles west of Bristow, OK in Creek County. 

OHP said it was raining and roads were wet at the time of the accident, and Johnson was likely driving too fast for conditions. He was not wearing his seatbelt.