Good Samaritan Helps Injured Rogers County Deputy After Crash

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

INOLA, OK -- A Rogers County deputy is lucky to be alive after crashing on his way to a domestic violence call. Deputy Ronnie Roden has serious injuries and will have back surgery tomorrow.

He could've been much worse had it not been for the kindness of strangers.

The crash was reported by a passer-by at about midnight on State Highway 88 about 3 miles north of Inola. 

The Sheriff's Department points out that the area of the crash is "known to be heavily populated by livestock and other animals which are common on the roadway but there remains no indication as to why or how the vehicle left the roadway."

Roden's patrol car rolled several times and landed in a pasture off Highway 88 about three miles north of Inola. Had it not been for those blue and red lights, he might have lain there for hours and - maybe - not survived.

But the emergency lights caught the attention of Gloria Murphy and her daughter-in-law.

"He kept asking us, ‘am I upside down, am I upside down' and I said, ‘yes, hon, you're upside down,'" said Gloria Murphy, the woman who stopped to help Roden.

Roden was pinned - his head was bleeding - and he had a terrible eye injury.

They called 911, and Gloria reached into the car and held his hand. She told him to hang on, he was going to be okay, even though she wasn't sure that was true.

"I looked out the window and said, Lord, tell me what to do to help this officer," Murphy said.

That prayer was especially poignant because Gloria couldn't help but think of another police officer - her son - and what it would be like if he were lying there hurt.

"It was pretty ironic it was a police officer," she said.

Gloria, her daughter-in-law and the grandkids finally made it home, and she could barely sleep for thinking about Ronnie Roden, a man she had never met but felt connected to.

"My only thought first thing this morning was to call and see if he made it," she said.

The Good Samaritan was very relieved when she learned Deputy Ronnie Roden had survived, and she hopes that her actions helped him in some way.

She says she'd even like to meet him once he's recovered. I can only imagine he'd like to meet her as well.