Fundraiser Held For Tulsa Firefighters Injured In Crash

Tulsa firefighters raised money Monday night for two firefighters who were injured while working a car crash in January.

Firefighters said it's an important reminder why people need to pull over when they see first responders working on the side of the road.

"It's hard on a family and hard on a firefighter so our fellow firefighters are here to rally around him and support him in his time of need," said Matt Lay, President of Tulsa Firefighters. "Your heart just kind of drops when you see something like that happen to somebody you know. Somebody you care about. Somebody you know has a family waiting for them at home. And it's about the worst call that you can get."

Jordan Blount and Cody Stephenson are lucky to be alive. Cody was able to return to work weeks ago, but Jordan still has a long road of recovery ahead of him.

It's been a few months since Jordan and Cody were hit by a driver on Highway 75 while working a wreck.

"He is going stir crazy. He loved fighting fire. He hasn't been able to do anything but sit on the couch and heal," said Michael Blount, Father.

Monday was the first day Jordan was allowed to put weight on his right knee. "That's progress," said Michael.

When Jordan's dad got the call, his heart dropped. "He was tossed about 50 feet off of an overpass and then I saw the video and I'm like 'how did he survive?' I don't understand," said Michael.

He's grateful his son is alive for this fundraiser and is overwhelmed by the support they're getting from the fire department, OHP, McNellie's, and Tulsans.

"He's got a left shoulder injury [...], a lateral tare in his left hip a broken finger on his right hand and a torn LCL on his right knee and then his nose was crushed," said Michael.

Matt Lay wants to send a clear message to the driver: to stay alert, slow down, and move over.

"It's dangerous work. Almost one firefighter, first responder is killed each week in the US on highway roadside incidents and we want to make sure people are aware of that and giving us the space we need to keep them safe," said Matt.

OHP Captain Jack Choate said there are so many distractions and it's dangerous for anyone who works on or near a highway or busy road.

It's dangerous for firefighters, police, medical personnel, public works, tow trucks, construction workers and drivers whose cars break down.

Capt. Jack Choate said OHP does a lot of training but even then, bad things can still happen.

"A lot of times we're turned facing the cars that are coming at us instead of looking down the highway because you don't want your back turned to them," said Capt. Choate.

He knows how scary it can be. "I was struck by a car over on Peoria and actually today's my first day back on the job," said Capt. Choate.

Capt. Choate said it's important that OHP and firefighters take a stand together.

"It hurts. If you've been an emergency responder for any amount of time at all you've seen this and you've had close, personal ties to people who have been affected by that. So it's painful to see these things happen and the video as you've seen was horrendous. It's very scary," said Capt. Choate.

It'll be months before Jordan can return to work but his father said if it was up to Jordan, he'd be back next week.

The fundraiser was at McNellie's near 71st and Yale until 10 p.m. Monday. People donated by scanning a QR code; others put cash in tonight's 'tip boot.'

McNellie’s South City is donating 10 percent of proceeds during the event to the Tulsa Firefighters Benevolent Fund.