Man, vehicle plummet off 150’ cliff

  • Drone view of water rescue team deploying from the East bank of the Cimarron River to pick up Cullum after impact. Photo courtesy of Olive Volunteer Fire Department.
    Drone view of water rescue team deploying from the East bank of the Cimarron River to pick up Cullum after impact. Photo courtesy of Olive Volunteer Fire Department.

    CREEK COUNTY — A Stroud man was rescued through collaborative efforts of local agencies after a vehicle he occupied rolled over a cliff near Highway 99 and Crow Road in the early hours of Nov. 28.

    According to initial information from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, last Friday at midnight 26-year old, Jacob Cullum of Stroud sustained injuries after plummeting approximately 150-feet off the edge of a cliff. OHP Trooper Bryan Bell’s narrative reported that the parking break had not been engaged and seatbelts were not in use when the incident occurred.

    “The driver was extracted and had to be ferried across the Cimarron River,” said Bell.

    The Olive Volunteer Fire Department (OVFD) members reported to be requested by Oilton Fire Department to assist with the rescue. Utilizing the OVFD’s inflatable rescue boat or Rapid Deployment Craft (RDC), three department Technical Rescue Team (TRT) members and a Creek County EMS paramedic made their way from the west bank to the east bank where the vehicle had landed.

    “The person received multiple severe injuries and was there for several hours before being located in 30 degree temperature,” stated a OVFD member.

    The unified command put in place with Oilton Fire and Police Department, Creek County Sheriff’s Office, OHP, Creek County EMS, and Drumright Fire and Police Departments allowed one rescue team to trek rough terrain on foot to reach the impact site as the TRT members navigated the river waters. Overhead, a drone equipped with a thermal camera helped locate the victim and guide crews.

    After being removed from the vehicle, Cullum was stabilized and loaded onto the RDC to be ferried across the Cimarron River. From there, he was transported roughly half a mile by stretcher, then transferred to a Drumright Fire Department UTV and taken to a waiting ambulance — ultimately being airlifted from the scene by AirEvac.

    “This was a very difficult search and rescue incident and was managed by professionally trained first responders working together to save a life,” sain an OVFD spokesperson.

    The man’s condition has not yet been released and OHP emphasized the investigation of the incident is in the preliminary stages and information could be subject to change.