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Black Ice Triggers 350 Crashes, 3 Deaths in Oklahoma as ODOT Skips Pretreatment

ODOT says lighter forecasts led to no brining on interstates.

Overview

  • Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported 244 non‑injury crashes, 106 injury crashes and three fatalities from midnight to noon, with roughly 350 crashes statewide.
  • EMSA said it handled about 15 times the usual number of accidents and confirmed 27 patients were transported to hospitals.
  • Crashes were concentrated on bridges, overpasses, ramps and major junctions such as the I‑35/I‑40 interchange.
  • ODOT stated it did not pretreat highways but deployed crews during the morning to sand and salt elevated roadways and said operations would continue until routes were clear.
  • The City of Tulsa brined city streets overnight and reported no major issues on municipal roads as social media users criticized ODOT’s decision-making.