An early Sunday morning crash on Interstate 240 claimed the lives of two Oklahoma City residents, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports. The accident happened just after 4:00 a.m. in the vicinity of South Western Avenue. 41-year-old Quaylana D. Harris was behind the wheel and 37-year-old Casey J. Townsend was a passenger when their vehicle departed the roadway for unexplained reasons, according to News9 report.
The SUV they were traveling in was headed westbound on the outside lane of I-240 when it veered off the road to the right, proceeded north onto the westbound I-240 Service Road, and collided with a tree. The force of the impact resulted in Townsend being ejected from the vehicle and Harris being pinned inside for approximately 90 minutes. "Seatbelts were not used by either individual," stated by OKC FOX website, noting that both were pronounced dead at the scene by EMSA.
While the investigation into the crash is ongoing, road conditions at the time were described as wet. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has yet to determine the cause of the crash or the condition of the driver prior to the accident. As mentioned by KOCO, the vehicle was equipped with seat belts, however, it appears they were not in use at the time of the collision. Authorities are still investigating and gathering more details.
