A 63-year-old Caddo man is dead after a tire blowout sent his car careening off a rural Atoka County road Monday afternoon, where it slammed into a fence and a tree before catching fire. Gregory Roberts did not survive the crash, which happened on Folsom Road just west of US-69.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers said Roberts was driving on Folsom Road when a tire on his vehicle blew out, according to KXII. The car then left the roadway, striking the fence and tree before fire broke out, the station reported.
A Stretch of Highway With a Grim History
Monday's crash adds to a string of deadly wrecks that have struck Atoka County along or near US-69 in recent years. In April, a five-car pile-up on US-69 in Tushka, just south of Boggy Depot Road, killed two Texas teenagers, as reported by KTUL. That collision happened at approximately 6:14 a.m., the outlet noted.
Fire has also marked other fatal wrecks in the area. On May 9, 2025, a GMC Yukon crossed the center line while heading southbound on US-69 and collided with a northbound semi-truck at the intersection with State Highway 43, according to KTEN. The Yukon caught fire after impact and was completely destroyed, the station reported.
That crash killed the Yukon's driver, Charles Eidem, and his passenger, 78-year-old Carole Eidem, both of Alexandria, who were pronounced dead at the scene, per the same report. The semi-truck's driver was airlifted to Medical City Plano in Texas, where he was listed in stable condition.
What Investigators Have Said So Far
No further details about the exact timing of Monday's crash or the cause of the tire failure have been released. Oklahoma Highway Patrol has not provided additional information beyond the account of the tire blowout and the sequence that followed, as described in the KXII report.
