Tulsa firefighter hit on US-75 urging drivers to slow down, watch out

TULSA, Okla. — A firefighter who was hit on Highway 75 is urging drivers to slow down and watch out for emergency vehicles at the side of the road.

Two firefighters were hit on Sunday night after a vehicle crashed into an already crashed vehicle to which the fire department was responding.

Firefighters Cody Stephenson and Jordan Blount faced injuries that sent them to the hospital.

Both the firefighters are still recovering, but they had a very lucky escape and the Tulsa Fire Department said this could have been much worse.

Stephenson told FOX23 about the moment he could have died that night.

“We never saw it coming,” said Stephenson. " This truck came in and hit the car that we were attending to and shoved into us and sent us over the barrier.”

It happened around 9 p.m. on Sunday night. Stephenson said it was scary when the vehicle plowed into him and Blount, flinging them over the barrier.

“It hurt, for sure, lots of body aches and pains,” said Stephenson. “My next thought was, where’s my partner, because, you know, I wasn’t the only one that was standing there. I looked around and I saw him. He was about 25-30 feet down the hill from me and I tried to get to him as fast as I could to make sure he was okay.”

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Stephenson has been left with road rash, bumps and bruises. Blount has a broken nose and is struggling to get around.

“I’m very fortunate, you know. It could have easily been a lot worse, it could have been a career-ender, it could have been a life-ender,” Stephenson said.

Their fire engine #10 that they nicknamed, The Dime, was also totalled in the crash.

Tulsa Fire Spokesperson Andy Little said that’s costing the taxpayer’s dollars, but he also said this is more about just money, it’s about lives.

“All our firefighters have families and they want to go home to their families,” said Little. “Please just slow down, move over, give them some space to work on the side of the road.”

Stephenson said he hopes people will slow down and move over so this doesn’t happen again.

“We’re out there every day, doesn’t matter rain, snow, shine, we’re out there tending to people’s sons and daughters, husbands and wives, and we enjoy it,” said Stephenson. “The only thing we ask is that people allow us the room to do that.”

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Firefighter Cody Stephenson Stephenson was hit by a car while working on a separate car crash.