One Killed, One Critical After Adair County Car Crash

A man was killed and a woman is in critical condition following a car crash in Adair County Thursday night. It happened at 7:36 p.m. on U.S. 59, about three miles north of Stilwell.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a 2000 Ford ZX2 driven by 36-year-old Starla Duncan of Stilwell was northbound on U.S. 59, when it ran off the roadway to the left for an unknown reason. The car then struck a tree.

Duncan and a passenger her vehicle, 29-year-old Robert Slinker of Tahlequah, were pinned inside the car for at least an hour and half before being freed by Stilwell firefighters.

Slinker was pronounced dead at the scene. Duncan was transported by Eagle-Med to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in critical condition, suffering from head, trunk, arm and leg injuries.

Both Duncan and Slinker were wearing seat belts.

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.