LAWTON Okla_ Today's
treacherous weather could be to blame for a wreck this afternoon on Rogers Lane that
sent a pickup through a fence and into a tree on Fort Sill.
A 911 caller told dispatchers the truck had veered off the road just west
of Sheridan Road and up a steep embankment, through the chain link fence that
spans the south side of Fort Sill.
Obviously, the
road conditions are getting bad. Over the next few hours, they are only
expected to get worse. Police said this accident is under investigation and they
still haven't had a chance to talk to the driver who was sent to the hospital
by ambulance.
Emergency
responders like Lawton Police Lieutenant Bill Jenkins worked in the dreary
weather.
"It's
cold, it's wet, it's nasty, but that's part of it," Jenkins said.
Traffic after
the accident was narrowed to one lane.
"It
appears he lost control on Rogers Lane
maybe due to weather," Jenkins said. "He went off road to the right, struck the
fence and went onto Fort
Sill."
While the cause
of the accident is still unknown, Jenkins said the extreme weather could be to
blame.
"It's sleeting
and snowing, and the roads are starting to freeze," Jenkins said. "They become
very slick, too. Everyone just needs to slow down and pay attention. Give
themselves more room between other vehicles."
Jenkins said
wet road, sleet, and ice combined with speed is a recipe for disaster or, in
the least, a fender-bender. He says police are warning drivers as conditions
worsen to slow down while behind the wheel.
Jenkins said when poor road conditions are present, police are inundated with
traffic collisions. He said if this accident was weather-related, he hopes it
will serve to warn others of the dangers of Mother Nature and caution them to
slow down.
Westbound
traffic on Rogers Lane
was narrowed to one lane for about half an hour after the crash, but it has
since reopened. The driver was sent to
the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
