'It Was Surreal': Man Recounts Moment Semis, Several Cars Crash On Turnpike

The Will Rogers Turnpike near Adair is back open after a chain reaction crash that involved two semi-trucks and several more vehicles.

Thanks in part to the help of strangers, nobody was seriously hurt.

John Smucker and his wife, Janae, were headed to Tulsa on the Will Rogers Turnpike when they saw a semi crash right in front of them; and that was just the start.

John and Janae commute to Tulsa for work. It was raining, and they were headed west on I-44.

"It was surreal. Right before the Adair exit, a semi just started to twist in front of us on the highway," John said. "I noticed it-- I was 120 feet behind it.”

Dash camera video captured the semi right afterward, as it caught on fire.

John said the semi driver had gone into a ditch and John was able to pull over safely, just in time.

“Then there were two loud bangs on I-44 going east, because one truck couldn’t get stopped. It was going west and ran through the concrete barrier and twisted around on the eastbound lane,” he recalled.

The second semi ended up throwing pieces of concrete across the eastbound lane and that caused several more cars to crash and pile up.

"One gentleman had the whole roof torn off. It’s a miracle he was alive,” John said.

Janae is a nurse and she jumped into action. "It was a blessing to be there and see my wife in action as she handles emergencies every day," he said.

First responders got there and nobody was seriously hurt, but part of the highway was shut down for hours.

John said seeing everyone come together to help is just what Oklahomans do.

“Truck drivers, families, there was a lot of people that got out to help which was good," he said.

As always, law enforcement agencies tell people to really pay attention and go slow when it's raining.