K9 injured after KHP trooper vehicle hit head-on by semi on I-70
25 January 2024
CANADIAN COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol released a heart-stopping video of a traffic stop crash that hurt a trooper and two drivers.
On Jan. 18, Trooper Jesse Gregory pulled over a white SUV along Interstate 40 in Canadian County. Gregory was wrapping up the traffic stop when the driver of a black SUV slammed into the back of the parked vehicle.
Dashcam video shows Gregory flipping backward and tumbling through the grass along the side of the interstate. Gregory can later be heard calling for help on his radio.
The black SUV also flipped over, while the white SUV ended up mangled from the crash.
Trooper Preston Cox said Gregory’s training likely saved his life.
“I’m just so glad he was able to get up and walk away,” said Cox. “If he was on the other side of that vehicle, I think the injuries sustained would have been much more significant.”
Two weeks prior, less than five miles away on Interstate 40, a Canadian County deputy and driver were both hurt in a similar crash.
“We’re having too many instances like this,” said Cox. “You see those emergency lights? They’re there for a reason. The law states that if you can’t move over, you must slow down.”
Law enforcement across Oklahoma has been pushing to bring more awareness to distracted driving on state roads. The video was a reminder of how dangerous traffic stops can be for not only agencies but drivers.
The crash is still under investigation as OHP works to determine if the driver of the black SUV was distracted or under some kind of impairment.
“A lot of time, it could be a combination of both, or it could be one or the other,” said Cox.
Luckily, the trooper and both drivers only suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from the hospital.