A 52-year-old Wagoner man is dead after a head-on crash in Wagoner County Friday night, after troopers say he tried to pass another vehicle on a hill and collided with oncoming traffic. Billy Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the other vehicle involved in the head-on impact was injured.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Taylor was driving westbound on East 700 Road near South 324 Road at around 8:11 p.m. Friday when he attempted to pass another vehicle on a hill. That maneuver sent him into the path of a vehicle traveling eastbound, resulting in a head-on collision, as reported by KOKI FOX 23.
Vehicle Struck Twice in Rapid Sequence
Troopers say the crash didn't end with the initial head-on impact. After colliding with the eastbound vehicle, Taylor's car then struck the driver's side door of the vehicle he had originally been trying to pass. The sequence left two separate vehicles damaged in the collision chain, per the same account.
Medical personnel pronounced Taylor dead at the scene. The driver of the eastbound vehicle he initially struck was injured in the crash, though further details about that driver's condition have not been released.
What Remains Unknown
Investigators have not released additional information about the crash, including details on road or weather conditions at the time, vehicle speeds, or whether anyone else was involved beyond the three vehicles described in the sequence. The identity and medical status of the injured eastbound driver also have not been made public.
The crash adds to a string of fatal wrecks across rural Oklahoma roadways where passing maneuvers on hills and curves remain a persistent hazard for drivers navigating two-lane county roads after dark.
