Woman jumps 40 feet from overpass to escape oncoming semi-truck

TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — An 18-year-old woman is recovering after a harrowing incident on I-49 North, where she jumped nearly 40 feet from an overpass to avoid an oncoming semi-truck.

Malora Stites was in route to Fayetteville to begin her DoorDash delivery shift when she swerved to avoid a deer, losing control of her car. The vehicle spun and came to rest sideways across two lanes.

While on the phone with 911, Stites saw a semi-truck approaching without slowing down. In a split-second decision to avoid being hit, she jumped from the overpass, falling 40 feet. A bystander found her and she was hospitalized with multiple injuries, including fractures to her sternum, ribs, pelvis, and back. Stites will need to use a wheelchair for several months but is recovering well, now able to stand and walk short distances.

“Recovery has definitely been hard, but I do feel like I’ve always been a very determined person,” Stites said. “If I want something, I’ll make sure I get it. It’s very painful, as you probably would imagine, but I’m just ready to get back to normal again. And I’m just ready to live my life again.”

Without full insurance coverage, Stites cannot replace her car and will need a stair lift in her home, expenses her family cannot cover.

She had been working DoorDash to save for school and pay for basic needs, but her recovery prevents her from working. Determined to become a nurse practitioner, Stites and her family have started a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills, home adaptations, and living expenses.