A 14-year-old girl from Rogers County is petitioning state transportation officials to install flashing warning lights at the dark rural intersection where her father was killed in a three-person fatal crash earlier this year. Gray Parker says the crossing of US Highway 412 and County Road 4160 near Inola is nearly impossible to see at night, and she has already placed memorials for her father, Griffin Parker, at the site where he died.
Griffin Parker, 47, died alongside 32-year-old Marissa Smith and 66-year-old Randy Meeks in the crash on April 9, 2026. According to News On 6, Smith, a Bartlesville resident who worked as a Lyft driver, stopped her SUV northbound at the intersection before pulling into the path of an eastbound semi-truck. State troopers said the collision killed all three occupants of the SUV.
Gray Parker, now leading the push for change, is petitioning the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office to install a lighted stop sign and overhead yellow flashing lights at the crossing. She told News On 6 the intersection is very dark at night and difficult to see, and that losing her father has made life hard. She described him as having a bubbly, fun personality that improved her mood.
A Mother's Account of Stalled Talks
Gray's mother, Mendi Parker, said officials have discussed the possibility of meeting with Gray but that no meeting has actually been scheduled, per the same News On 6 account. Gray has spoken publicly about the toll of her father's death and said she recognizes that improving safety involves money, but believes most people would favor safer conditions if given the choice.
An ODOT spokesman told the outlet that Gray's ideas will be considered as part of any possible interim safety measures, even as the agency pursues a far larger overhaul of the highway. ODOT has confirmed plans to convert the highway into an interstate with broader upgrades and improvements, a process the agency says will take several years.
Long-Term Plans Target the Same Crossing
An Oklahoma Department of Transportation filing includes a proposed interchange at 4170 Road, according to Oklahoma.gov.
In a 2026 federal grant application, ODOT estimated that converting four at-grade intersections into grade-separated interchanges would prevent an average of 14.6 crashes per year and generate more than $64 million in safety benefits over 30 years, per the same state filings. Port of Inola investments include a smelter and Sofidel's expansion.
Interstate 42 Still Years Away
Applications for the proposed Interstate 42 designation were submitted for the Fall 2023 AASHTO meeting. Approval was conditional, and both states later withdrew their applications for further review. The proposed Oklahoma route is 190 miles and runs from Interstate 35 in Oklahoma to Interstate 49 in Springdale, Arkansas. A joint Planning and Environmental Linkages Study released that spring by ODOT and the Arkansas Department of Transportation specifically evaluated controlled-access options and interchange alternatives for the Inola planning segment to eliminate hazardous rural crossings.
Progress elsewhere on the corridor shows the project is moving, just not quickly. Arkansas transportation officials opened a seven-mile extension of the Highway 612 Springdale Bypass to US Highway 412 in September 2026, according to Interstate-Guide, marking an active construction milestone in the multi-state effort to bring the route up to interstate standards. Still, broader changes to the highway are expected to take several years.
A Pattern of Deadly Rural Crossings
The danger Gray Parker is describing is not isolated to one crossing. Earlier this month, Hoodline reported that a 42-year-old Claremore man died in a two-vehicle collision at Highway 66 and County Road 410 after a driver missed a yield sign. A fatal crash on US 412 near the Highway 88 exit also highlights the danger of rural crossings.
