Man Recovering After Wreck On I-35 During Winter Storm

Justin Pappan was on his way to get his dialysis medicine in Moore on Tuesday when OHP Troopers said he fell about 20 feet while turning onto Interstate 35.

“He hit a slick spot as bridges go,” Saylis Pappan, Justin’s wife, said. “He was in the left lane and he just went right over the edge. It was scary. Just seeing the pictures were scary.”

Saylis was already worried about the drive, so she tracked him on her phone in case anything went wrong.

“The wrecker, when I talked to him on the phone, he said, ‘Whoever was in that car is lucky to be alive because I honestly don’t know how they made it.’ I don’t either,” Saylis Pappan said.

“They will be driving on the interstate and it will be fine, it looks fine, so they get this false sense of security and get up to highway speed and then a patch of ice will hit them and they will be out of control,” OHP Trooper Eric Foster said.

Justin is being treated at OU Medical Center.

“As soon as we found out, they were devastated,” Saylis Pappan said. “They are still scared, still tears, still worried.”

Thankfully, he was able to talk to her on the phone before getting on a ventilator and rushing into surgery.

“He had to get reconstructive surgery on his arm Thursday because it was completely shattered,” Saylis Pappan said. “The brain bleeds are another thing they want to keep an eye on, make sure they don’t come back.” 

Due to social distancing policies and the extent of his injuries, Pappan is unable to see her husband right now but hopes to in the coming days.

A donate page for Pappan’s medical expenses has been started on Facebook. If you'd like to donate, you can click here.