Elk City, OK – A woman suffered life threatening injuries after apparently falling from a moving semi truck on Interstate 40 near Merritt last week, prompting a multi agency investigation led by the Beckham County Sheriff's Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning said authorities were first alerted after motorists witnessed a disturbing scene along the interstate.
According to Manning, witnesses reported seeing a semi truck driver stop abruptly on the Merritt Road on ramp. The driver exited the truck, ran down the shoulder, and picked up a woman who was lying unconscious and bleeding.
"One of the witnesses offered to call for help, but the truck driver waved him off, placed the woman back inside the cab of the truck, and drove away," Manning said.
Law enforcement immediately began searching for the truck using descriptions provided by witnesses. A Beckham County deputy soon located the semi after it pulled into the TA truck stop near Sayre.
Manning said he arrived moments later.
"My deputy had already located the driver, who was covered in blood, and placed him in handcuffs while we tried to determine what had happened," Manning said. "When we went inside the cab, we found the woman with very serious injuries."
Emergency medical personnel responded and quickly requested an air ambulance. The helicopter landed in the TA parking lot before transporting the woman to an Oklahoma City hospital.
Investigators initially worked to determine whether the woman had been pushed, had fallen, or had jumped from the moving truck. Manning said communication proved difficult because both the driver and the injured woman reportedly spoke Uzbek or a Russian dialect, making it challenging to quickly locate an interpreter.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was called to process the scene and later assumed control of the investigation.
Manning said investigators have not reached a final conclusion but indicated there was discussion that the incident may have been a suicide attempt.
"The last information we received was that she possibly either jumped out of the truck or was threatening to and then fell out somehow," Manning said.
The woman suffered severe injuries to her head, torso, and extremities.
"She was really hurt," Manning said. "As you can imagine, jumping out of a moving vehicle on the interstate, especially from the height of a semi cab, results in extremely serious injuries."
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released the identities of those involved. No charges have been announced.
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