A 23-year-old Texas man was killed when his vehicle veered off State Highway 377 in Pontotoc County, rolled two-and-a-half times, and left all three people inside injured shortly before 4 p.m. on April 4, according to investigators.
Crash details
Troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to the single-vehicle rollover on April 4 and identified the driver as Joel Warren Wallace of Texas. Authorities say Wallace died from his injuries. The crash report notes that all three occupants were hurt and two were ejected from the vehicle, as reported by KTUL.
Investigation ongoing
State troopers are still working to determine what led up to the crash and have not yet released information about possible contributing factors such as speed, impairment, or seat-belt use. Emergency crews and law enforcement processed the scene, cleared the highway, and compiled the initial crash report.
Why ejections are so dangerous
Being thrown from a vehicle in a rollover is often catastrophic, and safety data shows that restraints can make a huge difference in survival. A technical report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that using seat belts together with rollover-activated curtain airbags cuts the probability of an occupant being ejected in a rollover by about 99 percent (NHTSA).
Next steps
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is expected to release more details once the full crash report is finalized and any follow-up work is complete. This story will be updated if officials provide additional information about the investigation or the conditions of the other injured passengers.
