Oilfield Trucks Increase Highway Dangers and Damage in Kingfisher County

With Kingfisher County one of the hotbeds of oil and gas activity due to its position in the STACK, increased truck traffic is being targeted by county officials. The traffic is not only tearing up roads but turning deadly.

Worried about the damage to highways and traffic dangers because of the increase in trucks, sheriff Dennis Banther has taken action.

He has committed a deputy full-time to police the commercial traffic, monitoring speed, driver permits and weights and measures. If the truck traffic continues to grow, he might add others to the same kind of enforcement.

Sheriff Banther recently told one Oklahoma City TV station the Highway Patrol reported traffic accidents increased by 238 percent compared to last year at this time.

Just recently, one big rig driver rammed the rear of a car slowing on a highway and killed a Kingfisher woman and 12-year old boy.  The accident happened on Oklahoma 3 highway about 3 miles west of Kingfisher as the driver of the small car slowed to make a turn off the highway. That’s when he was hit by the driver of an 18-wheeler that failed to slow in time.

County Engineer Heath Dobrovolny told how one bridge with a 7-ton weight limit collapsed when a truck hauling drill pipe attempted to cross it. The trailer ripped the side of the bridge off as well as decking.