Elk City, OK – A crash involving two semi trucks temporarily shut down the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 early Monday morning near Elk City after the vehicles became tangled in the highway's cable barrier system.
Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning said a truck driver called 911 to report that his truck had become entangled in the cable barriers. When deputies and officers with the Elk City Police Department arrived, they discovered two trucks had become caught in the cables, dragging the barrier across both westbound lanes.
The incident occurred just outside Elk City near the 38 mile marker.
Law enforcement immediately shut down the westbound side of the interstate while crews worked to safely remove the damaged barrier. Manning said the Oklahoma Department of Transportation responded quickly despite the overnight hour.
"I was very impressed with their response time for being in the middle of the night," Manning said. "They got out there within about 25 minutes."
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol also responded to assist with traffic control while ODOT crews cut away and untangled the cable barriers from the trucks.
According to Manning, the interstate remained closed for approximately an hour and a half before traffic was allowed to resume.
Despite the disruption, no secondary crashes were reported during the closure.
"If you've got to shut the interstate down about three in the morning, it's not a bad time to do it," Manning said. "It's never totally stopped out there, but that was a little bit of a mess for a little while."
Authorities credited the coordinated response by the Elk City Police Department, Elk City Fire Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Oklahoma Department of Transportation for reopening the interstate safely and efficiently.
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