UPDATE: OK deputy hit while directing interstate traffic

SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Ok. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Sequoyah County deputy was seriously injured after being struck by a car while directing traffic on Interstate 40 on Sept. 26.

UPDATE (Sept. 28 5:08 p.m.): Chase has gotten out of a successful surgery in a Little Rock hospital.

The operation lasted four hours, according to Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane Jr.

There are no further updates at this time.

UPDATE (Sept. 28 4:58 p.m.): Sequoyah County Deputy Duwaine Chase sustained multiple injuries, including “two small brain bleeds,” according to a Facebook post by Sheriff Larry Lane Jr.

The post reads:

“ Deputy Chase has numerous broken bones. He has a broken vertebrae in his neck, several broken vertebrae’s in his back, broken leg in two places, several broken ribs, separated sternum, two small brain bleeds that the doctor said will heal themselves and internal bruising.

As well as lots of cuts and scrapes, he’s in a lot of pain! He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning.

He will have a long road to recovery and will need continued prayers. “

Sept. 27: On Sept. 26 at 9:40 p.m., Chase was seriously injured while directing traffic near the Vian exit on I-40 westbound, about three miles west of Vian.

Chase was assisting the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) and first responders following a fatal collision when a vehicle struck him.

He was working a traffic block approximately half a mile from the primary accident scene, where a fire truck from Sequoyah County Rural Fire Protection District 1 was also present.

According to Gore Fire Department’s Justin Ohl, as Deputy Chase attempted to divert traffic off the interstate, he was hit by the driver of a big rig, while another vehicle collided with the fire truck.

Following the incident, Gore Fire Department diverted one of their ambulance crews to assist Chase, who was subsequently life-flighted to Little Rock.

The earlier collision involved Robert Jaramillo, 38, who was driving a vehicle that crashed at the same time. Jaramillo sustained several injuries and died at the scene after being pinned in his vehicle for about an hour. No passengers were in his vehicle.

The second vehicle involved had an unidentified driver who was critically injured and airlifted to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, also pinned in their vehicle for about an hour. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, and airbags deployed in both cars.

The cause of the collision and the condition of the second driver remain under investigation. The OHP continues to investigate both the fatal accident and the incident involving Deputy Chase.

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