Dangling motor home closes eastbound I-40

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Officials closed Interstate 40 for three hours on Monday as crews tried to keep a dangling Tennessee motor home from falling off an overpass. <br><br>The motor home skidded and crashed

Tuesday, November 19th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Officials closed Interstate 40 for three hours on Monday as crews tried to keep a dangling Tennessee motor home from falling off an overpass.

The motor home skidded and crashed through a retaining wall on eastbound I-40 and nearly went over the edge, leaving only back tires on the roadway, officials said. There were no reports of injuries.

Road crews closed the highway at 2:52 p.m. and allowed traffic to resume at 5:52 p.m., the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

``Just before we jumped on it, I thought for sure we were going over it,'' Roland Marshall, the driver of the motor home, said of the accident. ``I just prayed to God that we didn't hit another car.''

Marshall said he hit a slick spot on the roadway, causing him to lose control.

A fire crew attached steel cables from a fire truck to hold the hanging vehicle in place. The fire truck proved heavy enough to hold the vehicle steady about 60 feet above the ground, Oklahoma City fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said.

Marshall and his son Andrew, 15, were on their way home to Dickson, Tenn., from Arizona. Both were able to get out through a passenger door.

Firefighters cleaned up diesel fuel at the crash site, but it was unknown if fuel had slickened the roadway before the crash, Stanaland said.

The concrete wall ripped out the bottom of the motor home. The vehicle's engine is located in the rear, which probably kept it from going over the side, Stanaland said.