Fog, ice on roadways cause numerous wrecks Tuesday across Oklahoma

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers assigned to work traffic in the Oklahoma City area needed help from troopers from other parts of the state.

And all patrol troopers assigned other duties in the metro area found themselves on slick overpasses and highways.

“It was absurd,” trooper Betsy Randolph said. “We had special services troopers coming in to assist the metro troopers.”

From 5 to 9 a.m. troopers worked 72 noninjury accidents and 14 injury accidents.

Oklahoma City police reported working another 26 noninjury wrecks and 11 injury wrecks on city streets.

About 5:45 a.m., police shut down Broadway Extension northbound and southbound between NW 36 and NW 23 due to numerous crashes.

Tony McCarty, Emergency Medical Services Authority supervisor, said ambulance crews responded to 27 accidents and took two people to hospitals. One seriously injured person was hurt in an accident at Interstate 240 and S Western Avenue.

Eight people called EMSA after slipping and falling, McCarty said.

He said there were no ambulances or other emergency vehicles involved in accidents.

A 10-vehicle pileup occurred at Interstate 44 and Interstate 240.

“Between the fog and the ice, it did not give people time to react,” McCarty said.

After sunshine melted the black ice and burned off the fog, traffic flow returned to normal.