Deadly Weekend on Western Oklahoma Roads

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June 21, 2021

By News Director Jared Atha

It was a deadly weekend on western Oklahoma roads with area accidents where one saw an Elk City man lose his life.

That accident occurred Saturday night when, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 65-year-old Robert Potter was driving his 2004 Chevrolet Blazer eastbound on Interstate 40 near the 26 mile marker, when the vehicle departed the road to the left, came back on the road in a broad slide then began to roll. The vehicle would hit a sign support and continued to roll an unknown amount of times before coming to rest on the its wheels.

Potter was pronounced dead on the scene due to the injuries.

A separate accident occurred Friday night also on Interstate 40, this time in Custer County near mile marker 55.

OHP says while traveling eastbound, a 2022 Freightliner semi truck had slowed down due to a separate non-injury accident. A second vehicle driven by 21-year-old Alfred Thomas Junior of Oklahoma City failed to see the semi slow down and struck the vehicle. Authorities say this caused the 2001 Honda Civic to depart the road to the right before coming to a stop. OHP says Thomas was pinned in the vehicle before being freed by Burns Flat and Clinton Fire departments. Thomas was flown to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City where he was admitted in stable condition with an arm injury. OHP says a 4-year-old boy was also in the car at the time of the accident, and was transported to Alliance Health Hospital in Clinton where he was treated and released.