Wrong-Way Driver Causes Fatal Crash At I-240 In South OKC

One person is dead following a wrong-way crash on I-240 near Western in S. Oklahoma City.

According to police,  27-year-old Gerardo Cerda Jr., of OKC, was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when he collided head-on with a vehicle driven by 36-year-old Rickey E. Smith Jr., of OKC.

Police said Smith, a former American Idol contestant, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver, Cerda Jr., was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.

Police said Cerda Jr. has been taken into custody at the Oklahoma County Jail on a DUI complaint.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed the eastbound lanes of I-240 for over three hours following the crash, and diverted traffic at I-240 and Western.