A San Diego man was killed early Sunday when an eastbound vehicle on I-44 in Creek County slammed into a car parked on the right shoulder, sending the parked vehicle rolling and back into the traffic lanes. Emergency crews pronounced the passenger dead at the scene of the pre-dawn wreck and treated others for injuries. The driver of the moving vehicle was injured and taken for treatment, while the driver of the parked car walked away without injury.
According to KTUL, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol identified the victim as 63-year-old Paul Schultz of San Diego and said the crash happened around 4:24 a.m. Troopers told the station the eastbound vehicle veered off I-44 and collided with the car stopped on the shoulder, which then rolled and came to rest partially on the interstate. Medical personnel pronounced Schultz dead and investigators remained on scene.
Why stopped vehicles on the shoulder are dangerous
Even a brief roadside stop can turn risky on a high-speed interstate, since drivers in moving traffic have only seconds to react when a lane suddenly becomes blocked. Oklahoma's Bernardo-Mills "move over" law requires drivers to change lanes or slow to a safe speed when approaching stationary emergency or service vehicles, as outlined by Justia.
Investigation and reminders for drivers
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and has not released additional information about why the eastbound vehicle left the roadway. Troopers told KTUL that motorists should use extra caution in the area while crews work and asked anyone with information about the collision to contact OHP's Creek County unit.
The victim's family and local officials had not responded to requests for comment. The crash serves as a sobering reminder for drivers to avoid stopping where they could create a hazard and, when a stop is unavoidable, to switch on hazard lights and move as far off the roadway as safely possible.
