VIDEO: First responders in Creek County rescued a 26-year-old Stroud man Friday morning after he fell more than 100 feet down a cliff along the Cimarron River near Highway 99, authorities said.
According to the Olive Volunteer Fire Department, crews were called around 12:12 a.m. to help Oilton Fire after the victim was found at the base of a cliff with multiple severe injuries. Officials said the man, identified as Jacob E. Cullum, had been down the cliff for several hours in temperatures near 30 degrees before being located.
Several agencies responded to the scene, including Oilton Fire and Police, Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek County EMS, and Drumright Fire and Police coordinated the rescue.
Rescue teams approached from both sides of the river. One crew hiked in on foot over rough terrain along the east bank, while Olive’s Technical Rescue Team launched an inflatable rescue craft from the west bank with three TRT members and a Creek County paramedic on board. A drone using a thermal camera provided overhead support. That video is available below.
After stabilizing the patient, responders carried him to a steep bank, loaded him onto the rescue boat, and transported him back across the river. Drumright Fire’s UTV then took the man to a waiting EMS unit before he was flown by Air Evac helicopter for medical treatment.
Olive Fire officials described the effort as a “very difficult search and rescue” handled by professional crews working together to save a life.
