Car plummets 60 feet off bridge in possible ‘road rage incident,’ Oklahoma reports say

A woman’s car plummeted about 60 feet from a bridge, crashing into the riverbed below, during a possible “road rage incident,” according to Oklahoma officials and news reports.

The precipitous fall occurred after two cars collided on the Arkansas River Bridge in Tulsa on Dec. 4, according to a news release from the Tulsa Fire Department.

The car that fell — a Ford Focus — landed upside down in the dry riverbed, according to the fire department and a news release from the state’s Department of Public Safety.

“Dispatchers informed responding crews that 911 callers reported it may have been a road rage incident,” officials said.

When a rescue crew approached the fallen vehicle, a 20-year-old woman got out, appearing to have sustained “non life threatening injuries,” officials said.

“She was definitely fortunate to get out of that one with her life,” Fire Department Captain Brandon Wright told KJRH-TV. “It was like a 50 or 60-foot drop to the bottom, probably.”

Responders carried her about 900 feet to the riverbank, where medical personnel took over caring for her.

The second vehicle involved, a Hyundai Sonata — which remained on the bridge — was driven by a 40-year-old woman, who refused medical treatment. Two passengers, ages 19 and 20, were also in the car, both of whom sustained head and body injuries.

The driver was arrested later that day for assault with a deadly weapon, according to KJRH-TV, citing police.

Two days later, she denied driving into the other vehicle in an interview with KOKI-TV.

“I just want to get it cleared up about what really happened that day,” she told the outlet. She said the other driver had vandalized her grandmother’s home — and when she spotted her on the bridge, she followed her in order to get her license plate number.

“As I was going around her,” the woman told the outlet, “she slammed her car into the backside of my car and after that, everything lost control…”

The woman, who has multiple driving violations, was released from police custody after posting bail, according to KOTV-DT, citing police.

This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Car plummets 60 feet off bridge in possible ‘road rage incident,’ Oklahoma reports say."