One person died Friday night when two commercial vehicles collided on Interstate 35 in Love County, forcing troopers to shut down both southbound lanes for hours as crews worked the scene. The closure began around 8 p.m. near mile marker 12, and officials warned drivers it could last well into the night.
According to News 9, the crash happened on I-35 in southern Oklahoma and left one person dead, with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirming two commercial vehicles were involved. News 9 placed the crash site near mile marker 12.5 in Love County, while KXII reported the two semi-trucks collided near mile marker 12 by the weigh station in Marietta. Both outlets agree the collision unfolded at roughly 8 p.m. Friday night, triggering the full shutdown of the southbound lanes.
Hospital Transports and an Uncertain Timeline
KXII reported that one person was flown to a hospital while another was taken by ambulance, though the extent of their injuries was not known. The station also noted that the Love County Sheriff's Office confirmed at least one fatality from the wreck. It remains unclear whether the two people transported to hospitals are connected to the fatality, and that detail has not been confirmed by officials.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers told News 9 they expected the interstate closure to last an extended period while investigators worked the scene. As of the most recent reporting, OHP had not released the identity of the person killed or any additional details about what caused the crash.
A Rough Stretch for Commercial Traffic on I-35
Friday's wreck adds to a string of serious crashes involving commercial vehicles on Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma this month. Earlier in October, a 26-year-old Oklahoma City man, Uriel Rea Martinez, died after crashing into the back of a stopped commercial vehicle in the northbound lanes near mile marker 77 in Garvin County, according to News 9. Both vehicles in that crash became fully engulfed in flames, though the driver of the commercial vehicle was not hurt.
Love County itself saw another commercial-vehicle crash just days earlier, when a semi-truck driver reported a mechanical issue that sent the vehicle off the road and into an unoccupied parked truck near Enville, per KTEN. That crash left two people with minor injuries. No cause has been released for Friday night's fatal collision, and investigators have not said whether the southbound lanes have since reopened.
