Dewey County, OK — September 11, 2025, Jeffery Jones was killed and five other people were injured in a truck-ambulance accident at about 3:30 p.m. on U.S. Route 270.

Authorities said a semi-truck and a Woodward County Emergency Medical Service ambulance collided near E 770 Road southeast of Oakwood. The ambulance had been transporting a patient to an Oklahoma City hospital.

Paramedic Jeffery Jones, 55, died in the crash, according to authorities.

Five other people were hospitalized with unspecified injuries, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a semi-truck collided with an ambulance on a state highway, the first question that usually comes to mind is: How does something like that even happen? You’d expect emergency vehicles to have the right of way, and for everyone else to yield accordingly. But so far, very little has been released about what led up to this crash, which leaves us with more questions than answers.

Right now, we know that a semi-truck and an ambulance transporting a patient to an Oklahoma City hospital collided on U.S. Route 270. A paramedic in the ambulance lost his life, and five others were taken to the hospital. But authorities haven’t said who was at fault, what direction either vehicle was traveling, or how the collision unfolded. Was the truck moving or stopped? Was the ambulance passing or turning? Until those basic facts come out, it’s impossible to assess responsibility.

That’s why a proper investigation is so critical here. With a fatality and multiple injuries involved, it’s not enough to rely on surface-level observations. Investigators will need to pull engine control module data from the truck (its “black box”) to see how fast it was going, whether the driver braked and what steering inputs were made before the crash. If the truck had a dash camera, as many rigs do these days, that could show how the crash occurred in real time.

There’s also the question of visibility and right of way. Did the ambulance have its lights and sirens on? Was the truck driver distracted or unable to yield for some reason? Cell phone records could help answer that, as could in-cab camera footage, if available. These are all pieces of a puzzle that can’t be solved without real evidence.

Beyond the drivers themselves, it’s worth asking what role the trucking company may have played. Did they properly vet this driver? Was the driver over hours or running on too little rest? I’ve seen more than a few cases where the real problem wasn’t the driver behind the wheel. It was the company that hired someone they shouldn’t have, trained them poorly or pressured them to meet an unsafe schedule.

An ambulance being involved makes this case even more complex. If the EMS crew had the right of way and the truck failed to yield, that might point to negligence on the driver’s part. But if the ambulance entered the truck’s path unexpectedly, that opens the door to a different kind of analysis. Until we know more, all these scenarios are on the table.

Key Takeaways:

• There’s no public information yet on how the collision happened or who had the right of way.
• Critical evidence like ECM data, dash cams and cell phone records can help clarify the truck’s actions before the crash.
• Whether the truck driver or the ambulance operator had the right of way will be central to determining responsibility.
• The role of the trucking company — its hiring, training and scheduling practices — should also be investigated.
• Getting to the truth requires more than assumptions; it demands a full, independent investigation of the facts.