The following information is a preliminary collision report furnished by the Department of Public Safety.
A collision occurred at 10:00 (am), April 3 (2015), on I-35 northbound at mile marker 170.5 which is located 11 miles west and 2 miles south of Stillwater (Payne County).
Jesse Brownlee (31) of Wellington, Kansas was driving a 2007 Peterbilt northbound on I-35 (the Peterbilt was disabled and had stopped partially on the shoulder and the outside lane) when Dwight Handley Jr (62) of Belle Plaine, Kansas also going northbound was driving a 2000 Freightliner on I-35 in the outside lane. The Freightliner that Handley was driving struck the Peterbilt that Brownlee was driving in the driver’s side rear. The Freightliner then continued on into the inside lane of northbound I-35 catching on fire, which caused the cargo tank to explode. A pedestrian Jason Newey (44) from Colorado attempted to render aide to the driver of the Freightliner when the explosion occurred. The pedestrian was hit by flying debris.
Brownlee was not injured in the accident. Handley expired at the scene due to massive injuries, and was transported to the medical examiner’s office. Newey was transported by Eagle Med to OU Medical Center in serious condition with leg injuries.
The cause of collision is still under investigation.
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