PAULS VALLEY, Okla. -A truck driver has been charged months after an accident claimed the lives of two sisters in Pauls Valley.
In March, officials say 65-year-old Norma Caldwell was driving southbound on US-77 when things took a dangerous turn.
Person in the background of the 911 call: “Oh my god. There’s the boulder.”
Caller: “Yes, it’s [EXPLETIVE] huge. Oh my god.”
911 Dispatcher: “Let me get you with Highway Patrol.”
Caller: “Oh my god.”
911 Dispatcher: “Hold on ma’am.”
Witnesses told dispatchers that they watched a boulder crash through the windshield of Caldwell’s vehicle.
Sadly, two women in Caldwell’s car were killed in the crash. Officials say 83-year-old Flora Perkins and her 89-year-old sister Wanda Oliver were killed instantly.
Investigators with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol say the boulder fell off of a semi-truck that was traveling in the opposite direction.
“It was very large. Probably pretty close to the size of a basketball. Probably 40-50 pounds,” said Trooper Shayne Ballard, with the OHP Traffic Homicide Unit.
Officials were able to track down the driver of the semi-truck a short time later.
The driver of the truck, Bill Melson, told investigators he didn’t even realize an accident had occurred.
Months after the accident, charges have now been filed against Melson.
According to online court records, Melson was charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
