Stacy Arterberry and her sister Wendy Evans were driving home to Ardmore from the Tushkahoma Labor Day Festival early on Sept. 6 when an oncoming car crossed the center line on State Highway 1 in Johnston County, slamming into their vehicle and leaving both women with serious injuries that have upended their lives weeks later.
Arterberry was pinned inside the vehicle after the impact, according to KXII. She suffered arm and leg fractures so severe that surgeons had to place metal rods in both limbs to repair them. She described seeing headlights suddenly appear on her side of the road just before the crash, the station reports.
Evans, who was sitting behind her sister, suffered fractured ribs and a fractured spine. She could not get her own door open after the crash and had to be extracted through the door on her boyfriend's side instead. “My boyfriend got his door open and got me out on that side,” Evans said, per the same account.
Driver Charged, Walked Away Unhurt
The other driver, 23-year-old Jason McClendon of Milburn, was arrested after the crash and charged with DUI causing great bodily injury, the station reports. McClendon reportedly walked away from the wreck unhurt, a stark contrast to the injuries the sisters are still working to recover from.
Arterberry, according to the report, remains out of work and struggles with basic daily tasks — getting out of bed, walking, using the bathroom, and cooking on her own — as she heals. She also faces medical bills not covered by insurance, adding financial strain to the physical recovery.
“Please do not drive,” Arterberry said, addressing anyone who is intoxicated or under the influence, per the outlet's report. A donation account has been set up for the sisters through First United under the name Laura Petit, the station notes.
State Lawmakers Eye Tougher DUI Penalties
The crash comes as Oklahoma lawmakers weigh whether to toughen penalties for DUI crashes that cause serious injury. A state Senate committee voted 9-0 to advance legislation that would classify DUI causing great bodily injury as a violent crime, according to News9. Under the proposal, people convicted of the offense would no longer be eligible for certain early-release provisions.
The push followed public outcry after Sarah Polston was released from prison after serving roughly 73 days of a 15-year sentence for a DUI crash that seriously injured Micaela Borrego, News9 reports. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections released Polston from the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center and placed her on GPS monitoring under existing state statutes, according to the outlet.
For now, the case involving McClendon proceeds separately, with no update yet on any court proceedings tied to the Johnston County crash.
