Lewis said a tractor-trailer was following a sport utility vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet Blazer, in the right westbound lane of Interstate 40 when the Blazer slowed and the trailer plowed into the back of the Blazer.
The Blazer, driven by Betty Spruell, 64, of Fort Smith, Ark., was knocked off the roadway and into the right-of-way, overturned, and then crashed into a tree, Lewis said.
Spruell sustained injuries to her legs. Spruell's husband, Raymond Spruell, 67, died of massive head injuries at the scene. Lewis reported that the Spruells were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.
The driver of the 2002 Kenworth tractor-trailer, Roumen Tzatzarov, 45, of Philadelphia, Penn., was not injured.
"The Muldrow Police Department was assisted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP)," Lewis said. "The accident is still under investigation."
Lewis said the preliminary results of the accident investigation indicate that the primary cause of the accident was that Tzatzarov was following too close. As a result, Tzatzarov was arrested and booked into the Muldrow City Jail on a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide, he said.
Lewis said the Sequoyah County district attorney's office will review the case to see if the charge is applicable or if another charge is suitable.
"It's up to the DA," he said.
Tzatzarov is currently being held in the Muldrow City Jail, but will be transported to the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw.
Lewis said the department did take a blood sample from Tzatzarov, but they won't know the test results for a few weeks.
"There were no outward signs of alcohol use," Lewis noted.
The investigation is in the early stages, and not all information will be available until the OHP does their diagram of the accident, Lewis said.
