Semi Truck Plummets Off Belle Isle Bridge in OK City, Killing Driver

February 26th, 2010 |

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – A deadly wreck at the Belle Isle bridge occurred Friday morning in OK City when a semi tractor trailer truck plummeted 40 feet over the Belle Isle bridge, killing the truck driver.

Debris from a semi truck accident scattered below the Belle Isle bridge of west bound I-44 in Oklahoma City. Photo credit: Paul B. Southerland

Investigators said the truck driver, Joseph K. Watkins, 40, was trying to avoid the other crash on the I-44 when he went off the bridge. Watkins had to be cut from the cab of the truck and was taken to a local hospital before dying from his injuries.

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The tractor trailer debris remains on the ground north of Northwest Expressway in the 1800 block of Belle Isle Boulevard on the south side of the street in a grass lot. Belle Isle Boulevard between N Classen Boulevard and Northwest Expressway is closed to all traffic.

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Location of semi truck accident in Oklahoma City, OK on the Belle Isle bridge of Interstate 44.

Traffic continues to move in westbound lanes of the Northwest Expressway.

Weather conditions appear to be the cause of the accident.

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The accident is still under investigation.

Gordon & Elias, nationwide truck accident attorneys, state that road conditions contribute to more than half of all deaths in vehicular crashes nationally, more than drunken driving, speeding or non-use of seat belts, according to a study commissioned by an industry group that advocates for boosting spending on road construction.

Read more about common causes of truck accidents.

For more information about Oklahoma trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact an Oklahoma truck accident lawyer for the best advise possible.