2 cars collide on Riverside, sending 1 vehicle into the Arkansas River

TULSA - One woman suffered minor injuries after her car rolled off Riverside Drive and landed in the Arkansas River.

Police and fire crews responded to the scene near 31st and Riverside around 7:15 a.m.

Officials on the scene say two cars were traveling southbound on Riverside when one car tried to pass the other.  The vehicles bumped each other and the car that tried to pass rolled at least one time and ended up in the water.

Officer Leland Ashley with the Tulsa Police Department says it isn't often that police and tow crews are working together to fish cars from the Arkansas.

"It's not something that we see often as far as cars going in the river. We do have accidents in Riverside, and I will say the main contributing factor is speed," he said.

Riverside is a popular north-south route for drivers wanting to avoid highways in the Tulsa area.

"If you don't want to take the Broken Arrow or Highway 75 because of congestion, people use Riverside," Ashley said.

Bicyclists, runners and walkers also utilize the paths along Riverside. One of those, Mary Eck, walks her dog Flynn on the path between two and three days a week. She says it's not hard to guess why so many Tulsa residents utilize the river walk.

"It's really pretty. It's scenic. It's close to my house," Eck said.

Walks by Riverside can be worrisome though. Eck says the stretch of path between 31st and downtown, where the green space between the road and the river shrinks, often forces people to keep a watchful eye for vehicle traffic.

"During the mornings, it's not bad, but rush hour -- it's pretty busy," she said.

Ashley reminds drivers the holiday season is here and more drivers are on the roads. In addition to monitoring speed, Ashley says drivers need to eliminate as many distractions as possible.

"We're on cell phones. We're texting. We're doing everything except watching that road and watching what we're doing. Just be aware of what you're doing, especially on this holiday season. There may be a lot more people out than normal. We see it every year. Just be cautious," he said.

Officials say the woman driving the vehicle was able to get to shore. She was taken to a local hospital with what may be a knee injury.

The other driver was uninjured.