A drunk driver died after he crossed the center line on U.S. 77 north of Newkirk Thursday night and hit a semi head-on.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol identified Dean Randall Godfrew, 37, of Ponca City, Okla., as the driver of the 2008 Dodge Pickup that ran into the semi. He was pronounced dead at the scene from head, trunk, internal, leg and arm injuries.
Joseph Ralph Moews, 65, Adair, Okla., sustained trunk and internal injuries when the pickup struck the 2000 Peterbilt tractor-truck he was driving. Moews was flown by Eagle Med helicopter to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita where he was admitted in stable condition, the patrol reported.
Godfrey was pinned in his vehicle for approximately one hour and 13 minutes before being freed by the Newkirk Fire Department. Moews was trapped for approximately 40 minutes.
The accident occurred at 9:30 p.m. about two miles north of Newkirk. Godfrew was headed south under the influence of intoxicants, according to the accident report. Moews was headed north on the narrow two-lane asphalt road.
The airbag deployed in the pickup but Godfrew was not wearing a seatbelt. The semi was not equipped with an air bag and it is unknown whether he was using a seat belt. The weather was cloudy when the accident occurred.