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OHP: Semi Pulled from Lincoln County Rest Stop Before Fatal Turner Turnpike Crash That Killed Webster High Student
A 16-year-old Tulsa student was killed and seven others injured when a vehicle carrying Webster High School students and a staff member home from a Norman convention struck a semi-trailer entering the Turner Turnpike near mile marker 170, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
A 16-year-old Tulsa student was killed and seven other people were injured Monday when a vehicle carrying a group from Webster High School home from a student council convention collided with a semi-trailer on the Turner Turnpike in Lincoln County, according to a newly released Oklahoma Highway Patrol collision report.
The crash occurred around 12:45 p.m. near mile marker 170, where the semi-trailer was entering the turnpike from a rest stop, the report states. The eastbound vehicle struck the semi's rear-left corner, spun clockwise and rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest on its left side facing west. The semi driver made a controlled stop on the outside shoulder.
Eight people were in the vehicle: a driver and seven passengers. The 16-year-old passenger died; the driver and six other passengers were injured. OHP has not released the conditions of the injured, but Tulsa Public Schools said they were treated at area hospitals. OHP spokesperson Lt. Mark Southall said several people were trapped in the vehicle after the crash. Aerial footage showed an overturned vehicle, a damaged semi-trailer, multiple ambulances and a medical helicopter at the scene.
The district confirmed that the students and one staff member were returning from the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils State Convention in Norman. OHP and the district have not publicly identified the student who died.
"It is with profound sadness that Tulsa Public Schools confirms seven students and one staff member from Webster High School were involved in a serious traffic accident earlier today," the district said in a statement. "Tragically, we have been notified that one student died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident."
The district said crisis teams would be at Webster beginning Tuesday morning and directed families to round-the-clock, no-cost support through COPES at 918-744-4800. Family & Children's Services will also be on site. Tulsa Public Schools canceled its Board of Education meeting scheduled for Monday evening and said it would be rescheduled.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said he and his wife were praying for the Webster community. "I am asking God to bring comfort to these families and healing to those in the hospital," he said, thanking troopers, first responders and medical teams.
The crash remains under investigation. The Turner Turnpike is a heavily traveled corridor between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and the stretch through Lincoln County has seen serious collisions in the past. For the Webster community, the coming days will center on grief counseling and supporting the families of the students and staff member who were aboard the vehicle.