Orville and Randy Wilks Involved in Fatal Collision Near Ponca City

On the night of March 28, 2025, at approximately 11:48 p.m., a tragic collision occurred at the intersection of US-77 and Coleman Road, just north of Ponca City in Kay County, Oklahoma. The incident involved two vehicles: a 2009 Pontiac driven by Shannon Laird, 37, of Ponca City, and a 2023 Hyundai driven by Orville Wilks, 69, also of Ponca City. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Laird’s vehicle was traveling eastbound on Coleman Road and failed to yield at a stop sign, crossing directly into the path of Wilks’ southbound vehicle on US-77. The Hyundai struck the driver’s side of the Pontiac, causing both vehicles to veer into the center median, where Laird’s car subsequently caught fire.

Emergency responders pronounced Shannon Laird deceased at the scene due to injuries sustained in the collision. Orville Wilks and his passenger, Randy Wilks, 67, also of Ponca City, were transported to Integris Health in Ponca City by Ponca City EMS. Both were treated for minor injuries and released. The cause of the collision remains under investigation, as does Laird’s condition at the time of the incident. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, with assistance from the Kay County Sheriff’s Office, Ponca City Fire and EMS, and Ponca City Police Department, is conducting a thorough investigation into this devastating event.