Jenks Man Injured After Car Slams Into Tree On Creek Turnpike In Tulsa

A Jenks man was rushed to the hospital after crashing broadside into a tree on the Creek Turnpike Monday morning.

Authorities told News On 6 the driver was in critical condition but was able to talk to police. Judah Rafick Ghazaleh of Jenks was taken to the hospital where he is said to be stable with internal injuries.

The wreck took place at about 8:30 a.m. on westbound Creek Turnpike just east of the Riverside exit.

Although the trooper at the scene said the driver was returning from a camping trip and apparently fell asleep at the wheel, an official collision report states the driver told troopers he has a medical condition that caused him to passed out.

Ghazaleh's Kia Optima went off the roadway to the right before slamming broadside into a pine tree, striking the passenger side.

It was a high speed impact, and the 40-year-old man is fortunate to have survived, Lieutenant Leanne Spears, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, said.

Ghazaleh was pinned in the car for about 30 minutes and freed by Tulsa firefighters. There were two child seats in the vehicle, but the man was the only one in the car at the time of the wreck.