The man who died in a rollover collision on Highway 169 on Thursday has been identified by Tulsa Police.
According to the police, 50-year-old Robert Pitts was traveling north on Highway 169 when his truck swerved and crashed due to a burst tire. The fuel tank on the truck burst, setting it on fire.
Pitts passed away at the site while stuck in the truck. The highway’s lanes were closed for hours due to debris that had become scattered across them all.
EARLIER: Highway 169’s lanes are now open again after being closed for several hours on Thursday due to a fatal collision.
A huge truck carrying rocks overturned between Apache and 36th Street North at approximately 3 p.m.
More than six hours were spent closing lanes while police conducted an investigation and cleared the wreck.
According to Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg, a tire blowout or a mechanical malfunction may have caused the collision.
“We’re not sure if it was a blowout or something else, but the mechanical issue occurred at a distance of about 100 yards. The truck’s point of failure and its point of rest were quite some distance apart. Meulenberg stated, “It rolled over and threw debris on both sides of the highway.”
The man inside the truck died from his wounds when the truck caught fire.
Regarding the other motorists on both sides of the road, Meulenberg stated that because everyone was informed, there were no further problems.
“I wish every other driver here the best of luck.” Their good fortune stemmed from the truck driver, who, to be fair, I’ll say managed to keep his car under control enough to avoid hitting anyone. That is, you know, totally feasible. The drivers were paying attention today, and he did his best to handle his car to prevent it. They were able to halt when they noticed what was outside. Meulenberg stated, “They were able to give this truck enough room to have its problem and they stopped, stayed, and talked to us.
