MIAMI, Okla. — Two survivors of an Oklahoma traffic wreck that killed nine people when a tractor-trailer slammed into stopped cars were in critical condition Saturday.
Police said they will give prosecutors the results of their investigation to decide whether to bring any charges after the chain-reaction crash on the turnpike that saw some victims pinned in the wreckage for up to nine hours.
Twelve-year-old Andrea Reyes of Phoenix, Ariz., suffered head and internal injuries when her family’s Land Rover that was crushed. She was critical condition at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. Her parents, Ricardo Reyes, 39, and her mother, Ernestina Reyes, were killed.
Authorities said another survivor, Shelby Hayes, 35, of Frisco, Texas, was pinned in the wreckage of her vehicle for about two hours before being admitted to a hospital in Joplin, Mo., in critical condition. Two others with her, Randall Hayes, 38, and Ethan Hayes, 7, were killed.
Police said the other victims were Cynthia Olson, 55, of Crossroads, Texas, and Oral Hooks, 69, Earlene Hooks, 63, Antonio Hooks, 42, and Dione Hooks, 41, all of Oklahoma City.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, whom they identified as 76-year-old Donald Creed of Willard, Mo., was admitted to a Missouri hospital in good condition with head and other injuries.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said a criminal investigation is under way, as is routine after a fatal accident, and blood was drawn from the truck driver. There was no indication alcohol was involved, he said.
Patrol Capt. Chris West said local prosecutors will decide if any charges are warranted after the investigation is complete.
An earlier crash had stopped eastbound traffic on the Will Rogers Turnpike on Friday when the big rig slammed into at least three cars, which then crashed into more vehicles, Brown said.
The turnpike’s eastbound lanes were closed for hours after the accident, which occurred near the border with Missouri and Kansas.
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