Man In Critical Condition After Rolling BMW On Will Rogers Turnpike

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says passersby notified them of an injury collision at about 6 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 44 near the exit to Highway 266.

Trooper Brett Bennett said Elias Hernandez-Rubio was driving a 1998 BMW Z3 roadster eastbound when he drove off the road to the right. There were no marks on the highway before the car went almost 600 feet then hit an embankment. The BMS went airborne for about 80 feet then rolled two times, landing on its wheels.

It appears the driver was thrown from the car at the beginning of the roll, he said.

"Possibly the vehicle could have rolled over him," Bennett said.

"When I arrived the exhaust pipe and system were torn out and were laying on top of the victim," he said.

The exhaust was cold, indicating that the wreck had been there for some time.

Hernandez-Rubio, 26, was transported by medical helicopter in critical condition, according to the trooper. He had head, trunk, arm and leg injuries.

Alcohol is believed to have played a role in the wreck, Bennett said. The trooper's report notes that the driver was apparently sleepy.

Verdigris Fire Department and Pafford EMS assisted in the wreck.