• December 01, 2022

UPDATE (December 2, 2022): Authorities now confirm two people were killed in the truck accident. Betty Turner and 29-year-old Sarah Ready were occupants of an Infiniti sedan which collided with the 18-wheeler. Additional details cannot be confirmed at this time.

Depew, OK -- November 30, 2022, Betty Turner was killed after an accident where her vehicle and a semi-truck crashed.

Initial details from authorities indicated that the crash happened along the eastbound lanes of Turner Turnpike just outside of Depew, several miles outside of Tulsa.

It appears that 74-year-old Betty Turner was in a car traveling eastbound along the turnpike. Officials believe she may have "made an unsafe lane change" in order to make a u-turn. Doing so, a semi-truck which was also eastbound crashed into her car.

Turner sustained fatal injuries due to the collision. No other injuries were reported. At this time, additional details are unavailable.

Commentary on Betty Turner, Sarah Ready Semi-truck Accident near Depew

With details like these, it's important people understand why I would treat the reports with some skepticism. There isn't something specific that stands out nor do I know anything special about the crash. But there have been times across the hundreds of commercial vehicle wrecks I've handled which were similar to the events described here, and further investigations showed them to be a lot less one-sided than initial reports made them seem.

Here, for example, authorities seem to believe this happened due to an unsafe lane change. That could be true. But sometimes, someone being "cut-off" is actually just someone driving too fast or following too closely, leaving them unable to avoid what would otherwise be a reasonably avoidable collision.

Did that happen here? Maybe not, but someone losing their life should at least warrant a second glance at the facts. Whether that confirms what police already know or reveals new information, getting people the full story is what matters.

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