LAWTON, Okla_A horrific
wreck in Northwest Lawton killed one woman and
sent one man to the hospital. It happened just before 11 a.m. near 38th and West Gore Boulevard.
Lawton police
say the cement truck driver was heading west on Gore and was making a right
turn onto 38th Street.
The driver's truck was filled with over 60,000 pounds of cement and tipped
over, crushing the woman's car as she waited on 38th Street to make a left turn onto Gore Boulevard.
Lawton police say
right now, the accident is still under investigation. They are trying to
determine whether the cement truck driver was going too fast or whether his
truck was just top heavy and couldn't clear the turn. Eye witnesses at the
scene said, that moments before the crash they heard a loud screeching sound, as if someone where
slamming on their brakes.
As
first-responders and police worked the scene of this tragic wreck, Kasey Jones
and Krystal Moore were trying to understand what they just saw. The two were
filling their cars at a nearby gas station, when they say they heard a
terrifying screech followed by the sound of crushing metal
"It was
just loud noises and crashing and crunching. I looked over and all I saw was an
18 wheeler crushing a little car. My heart just instantly stopped because it
was serious, it was crazy," Moore
said.
"It looked
real bad, I don't know, I almost cried because that is somebody's daughter or
somebody's son," Jones said.
Captain Craig Akard
said it's not typical for cement trucks to tip over while turning but it can
happen.
"Sometimes
the weight shift and causes the center of gravity to change causing it to tip
over."
He said right
now it's too early to tell whether this accident could have been prevented
"They're
called accidents, you know accidents can be avoided. This one, I don't know if
this could have been avoided. Again, that's going to be the outcome of the
investigation, whether or not it could have been avoided. We don't know if it
could or not."
Jones and Moore
said the memory of that fatal moment will haunt them for a while.
"It's
really sad. I've never seen this before so I am just lost for words."
Lawton police have
not released the identity of the victim or where she is from. But they do say
the family has been notified. The driver of the cement truck was taken to a
hospital with minor injuries and is cooperating with police.
7News wanted to
find out if the driver could face any charges for the wreck. Captain Akard said
the driver's blood was taken to check for anything in his system, which is
routine legal protocol after a fatality accident. He said right now, its too early
in the investigation to know whether or not the driver will face charges.
