In a deadly accident occurring in Elmwood, Oklahoma on Wednesday, an SUV veered across a U.S. Highway 412 median and collided head-on with a van full of men headed to work at a Texas meatpacking plant. According to authorities, both drivers were killed in the Oklahoma car accident, as were five of the six van passengers. The last van passenger was airlifted to a hospital in Texas, and is currently listed in critical condition. Unfortunately, deadly car accidents are a common occurrence in Oklahoma and across the United States. In 2010, there were over 15,000 car accidents in Oklahoma City alone, resulting in 69 fatalities and nearly 500 incapacitating injuries. If you have suffered serious injuries in an Oklahoma car accident, or if you lost a loved one in such an accident, contact our knowledgeable car accident attorneys at AMA Law to discuss your options for legal recourse.

OKLAHOMA CAR ACCIDENT FATALITIES

The van carrying the meatpacking plant workers was driving eastbound on U.S. 412 when the Chevy Suburban, driving westbound, crossed the center line and hit the van head-on. Police say they don’t yet know what caused the 55-year-old Oklahoma man driving the SUV to lose control of his vehicle, but excessive speed is suspected. “It was pretty horrific,” said Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Betsy Randolph. “The lieutenant I talked to said he’d worked in Beaver County for 24 years, and he’s never seen anything like that. When you have that many bodies involved in a crash, it’s terrible.” Sadly, the van was less than ten miles from its destination, the Booker Packing Co. just south of the Texas border, when the deadly Oklahoma car accident occurred.

CONTACT OUR QUALIFIED CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS FOR HELP

Although Oklahoma police are still working to determine whether the SUV was speeding at the time of the deadly accident, the driver was reportedly moving fast and had passed a couple of trucks on U.S. 412 before crossing the center line and slamming into the van. Unfortunately, speeding is a common cause of Oklahoma car accidents, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that 28% of all people killed in Oklahoma car accidents during 2010 lost their lives in collisions that were caused by excessive speed. If you have been injured in a serious car accident in Oklahoma City, or elsewhere in Oklahoma, consult our qualified car accident lawyers at AMA Law to explore your compensation options. If you lost a loved one in a fatal Oklahoma accident, Dan Markoff and his team of skilled wrongful death lawyers can help you protect your legal rights and hold the person found at-fault in the accident liable for your losses.