Victim of fatal I-44 crash identified – Newstalk KZRG

The victim of a fatal pedestrian crash early Monday morning on I-44 in northeast Oklahoma has been identified.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said dispatchers received a call at 4:09 a.m. reporting a man lying in the inside lane of westbound traffic on I-44 Will Rogers Turnpike.

Police arrived at the scene and the vehicles stopped did not appear to be the first to hit the victim. The first vehicle to hit the victim is currently unknown.

63-year-old Edward Eugene Parker Jr. of Cuba, Missouri, was walking on the inside lane of the highway when he was hit.

A police officer said he gave Parker a ride from Mile 325 east to the grocery store at Mile 1 in Missouri around 8:30 p.m. the previous evening.

The victim had stated he was on his way to Cuba, Missouri, but police said that for some reason this time he returned to the same area near mile marker 325 on the west side.

The accident closed westbound lanes for nearly six hours while police continued their investigation.

Anyone with information about this collision should contact the Northeast Regional Communications Center at (918) 627-0440.