JENKS, Okla. — Neighbors in Jenks’ Southern Reserve neighborhood are furious after someone drove a truck into a house Thursday evening. This comes after neighbors claim they’ve been trying to get a barricade installed by the Creek Turnpike and neighborhood for years, but they say the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority keeps denying the requests.
A family was in disbelief staring at what was once their comfortable home in Jenks on Friday.
First responders confirmed the fire erupted when a woman drove a truck into a home near W. 105th Place S. in Jenks. Three people were inside, including two young children. The driver of the vehicle died.
Luckily, the homeowners told 2 News the three people inside, a woman and two young children, were all on the other side of the house.
Neighbors pointed out there weren't any brake lines from where the driver hit the fence - just pieces of the car and wood from the fences.
Neighbors, to say the least, are upset since the only objects in the way to stop the incoming truck were a couple fences, which didn't last.
2 News called a board member of the neighborhood’s Homeowners Association, and he says neighbors have been pushing for some kind of barricade since 2018, but the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s been denying requests.
“There were children in that house last night and that car went as a fireball, and if that was an hour later, they’d be dead right now," said David Crow.
2 News reached out to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and they sent a statement. It said in part, "it’s not unusual for someone living near a turnpike or highway to ask about barriers. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol report plus other traffic and engineering data will help us determine how to proceed."
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