OHP Trooper Critically Injured In Crash Near Sapulpa

NewsOn6.com & Ashli Sims, News On 6

SAPULPA, Oklahoma -- An Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper remained in critical condition Monday night after he was injured in a crash near Sapulpa earlier in the day, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

OHP said Captain George Green, 56, was leaving the Turner Turnpike and trying to make a left turn onto Highway 97 when he slammed into a dumptruck.

"It's the worst one I've seen," said Howard Seay, a witness. "We hear it all the time. We hear the tires screeching and then you hear a loud thud and you know it's another wreck. It's very dangerous."

Investigators speculate a tractor trailer in the outside lane could have blocked the dumptruck from the trooper's view.

"If you get someone coming off the turnpike they can't see around them," Seay said. "They go ahead and pull out. Well if they're in the passing lane going 45 or 50, they don't have time to stop."

A Highway Patrol spokesperson says Green was taken to a Tulsa hospital with massive internal injuries and several broken bones.

"Anytime you have a t-bone style crash all the kinetic energy and the momentum goes into that driver's side door and can cause massive injuries. So we're keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best for the trooper and his family," said Lieutenant George Brown.

All lanes of State Highway 97 at the Turner Turnpike junction were shut down for several hours after the accident.

Crews have already laid the groundwork for a new stoplight in the intersection. People who work in the area said once it's in place it will be a safer stretch of highway to drive.

ODOT reports the new traffic light should be operational by the end of next week.

Green, who has been on the force 31 years, is just six months shy of retiring.