Rogers County District Attorney Recovering After Car Wreck In Claremore

Rogers County District Attorney Matt Ballard is home recovering after police say he was hit by a wrong-way driver in Claremore just after midnight Saturday morning.

Ballard's young daughter was also in his truck when they were hit, but she is okay. Ballard spent the weekend in the hospital with serious injuries. There have been a lot of rumors swirling since the crash. Police say officers on scene didn't know what happened immediately based on the lack of witnesses and not being able to interview Ballard right away. But, they say surveillance video shows Ballard was making a legal turn on Highway 66 near Claremore and shows the other driver, was driving in the wrong lane when he crashed into Ballard’s truck.

Related Story: Rogers Co. District Attorney Hit, Injured By Wrong-Way Driver

Police say Ballard was driving home from a gymnastics event in Oklahoma City with his daughter around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, when they were hit. Officers say surveillance video showed Ballard getting hit by another driver in a black truck, who was driving in the wrong lanes. Officers say some of the rumors started because someone had called 911 saying a black truck was driving in the wrong lanes on 66, heading toward Claremore. Some people thought it was Ballard's black truck, but officers say the "black box data" and the video proved that wasn’t the case. Police say the “black box data” from the other driver shows he was going well over the speed limit.

"We want to deal in facts. We don't want to deal with rumors or social media or stuff like that. I was confident we would get to whatever that answer was. But we just needed to know the facts,” said Deputy Chief Steve Cox with Claremore Police.

Ballard and his family released a statement today saying:

Speaking for both myself and my family, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love, prayer, and support over recent days. For those who haven’t heard, one of my children and I were struck by a wrong-way driver on SH 66 in the early hours of Saturday morning while heading home from a youth athletic event in Norman.

Thankfully doctors say we can both expect a full recovery. Our confidence in the fine work of law enforcement is unwavering as they work toward a complete investigation.

At the same time, we’re disheartened, although sadly not surprised, some people are spinning up and spreading false rumors.

While we await the conclusion of the investigation followed by the public release of all officer findings, we feel it is necessary to share some facts known to the family.

My goal has always been to conduct my personal and professional life with honesty and integrity. So I think it’s important to assure our neighbors and my constituents.

I was not impaired or under the influence of any intoxicant. Any statement to the contrary is blatantly false. Anyone who may have driven by and witnessed the aftermath of the crash likely saw someone completing a field sobriety test… that person wasn’t me or anyone from my vehicle. Other narratives are nothing more than efforts to defame my reputation. As is typical with investigations

of vehicular accidents involving injuries, it is likely to take weeks or months to complete the investigation.

We are all thankful for the professionals who worked the wreck, as well as the medical personnel at Pafford Ambulance, Hillcrest Claremore, and the emergency, neuro, and trauma teams at Ascension St. John in Tulsa for their dedicated work. I look forward to a full recovery and am so thankful my little girl is healing quickly and didn’t have to be hospitalized. I sincerely thank those showing concern for me and all of my family during this time.”

OHP traffic investigators have been assisting Claremore Police. Officers say they are looking at possible charges for the wrong-way driver.