TULSA, Okla. — (Updated August 12, 2024)

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has now identified the two people who were killed after their semi crashed into the trailers of another semi-truck that had stalled on a highway in east Tulsa in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 7th.

According to Tulsa Fire, a semi carrying garage door panels crashed into the back of a UPS truck with a triple trailer around 3:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of I-44 near 177th East Avenue.

The semi with the garage door panels traveled a few more feet down the highway after the impact and burst into flames.

They say the 24-year-old driver of the semi hauling the garage door panels and a 22-year-old passenger both died from massive injuries.

For some reason, troopers only have last names for the two. The driver’s last name was Prince and the passenger’s last name was Rohit.

They say they were both East Indian and from the city of Brantford, Ontario.

The UPS semi driver was identified by OHP as 53-year-old Thomas Hawkins from Moore, OK.

He escaped the crash with only minor injuries.

Several agencies including Tulsa Fire and OHP were on scene diverting drivers at 165th.

“This is one of the biggest scenes I’ve seen in a long time,” said OHP Lt. Mark Southall. “When you have a crash that totally encompasses all lanes of I-44, the widest interstate that we have right now. It’s a big crash scene.”

OHP officials said a UPS truck was stalled in the road when it was struck by a semi. The two people who died were inside the semi and the UPS driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

“He was unable to move the truck out of the roadway. It’s at the bottom of the hill crest. Another truck topped the hill crest, came down and was unable to avoid the truck that was in the lane of traffic so it struck the back of the truck,” Southall said.

The mangled mess came to a stop on the side of the highway.

With all the charred debris, OHP said collecting evidence will take time.

“We’ve got troopers from all over the state here that are from our size and weights division that specifically investigate the truck side of that,” Southall said.

All lanes of eastbound I-44 are now open at 165th East Avenue.

Tulsa firefighters worked for more than five hours spraying water to get the fire out.

Following this crash, two other crashes took place on I-44. One crash was near Garnett and one near U.S. 75. No fatalities have been reported for either of those wrecks.

Update: Oklahoma Highway Patrol tells KRMG two inside lanes of Eastbound I-44 are back open after a crash earlier this morning.

OHP says crews will be working on the outside two lanes and the shoulder until further notice. The 165th East Avenue ramp to EB I-44 will remain closed, according to OHP.

Westbound lanes of I-44 remain open.

Two people are dead after a crash involving two semis in east Tulsa Wednesday morning.

According to Tulsa Fire, two semis collided around 3:30 a.m. at eastbound I-44 near 165th.

Several agencies including Tulsa Fire and OHP are on the scene diverting drivers at 165th.

Investigators say the UPS driver is 53-year-old Thomas Hawkins of Moore.