A quiet Wednesday morning in Owasso turned heartbreaking after a man from nearby Tulsa lost his life on a busy stretch of highway.
Levi Allen Roper, 41, was killed in a devastating auto-pedestrian crash around 10:20 a.m. on March 4, 2026. Police say the collision happened in the 8700 block of southbound U.S. 169, a major roadway that runs through the city and carries heavy daily traffic.
When officers and emergency crews arrived, they found Roper lying in the southbound lanes of the highway. Despite the rapid response from first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The sudden loss has left family members and people in the community stunned.
Investigators located the vehicle involved parked in the center median nearby. The car showed front-end damage that police said was consistent with an auto-pedestrian collision. The driver remained at the scene and appeared shaken but was not physically injured.
Authorities transported the driver to a local hospital for a medical evaluation and a blood draw, a routine step required under state law in fatal crashes. After speaking with detectives, the driver was later released. Investigators say there is currently no indication the driver committed any wrongdoing.
Specialized teams spent hours carefully documenting the scene. Collision Reconstructionists worked alongside the department’s Drone Team, gathering measurements and photographing evidence to understand exactly what happened. During the investigation, southbound lanes of U.S. 169 remained closed for more than two hours before traffic was allowed to move again.
Officials with the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene and took custody of Roper. Authorities later confirmed he was not a construction worker and had no connection to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
The crash occurred near the north end of a 55-mile-per-hour construction zone tied to the widening project along U.S. 169. Police also noted the incident happened well after the usual morning commute rush, when traffic typically begins to ease.
For the city of Owasso, the tragedy adds to a troubling trend. The death marks the fifth motor-vehicle fatality recorded in the city since the start of 2026.
For those who knew him, however, Levi Allen Roper is far more than a statistic in a police report. Friends and loved ones remember him as a son, a friend, and a member of the Tulsa community whose life ended far too soon. As investigators continue piecing together the moments leading up to the crash, a grieving community is left holding onto memories of a man whose absence will be deeply felt.
