Elk City Community Mourns After Local Firefighter Dies In Car Crash

ELK CITY, Oklahoma – 

The Elk City community is mourning the loss of a local firefighter who died in a car crash Thursday night.

29-year-old Jacob Wing was driving along I-40 just west of Clinton. According to an OHP report, he was in the westbound lane and slowed down as he came up to traffic, that’s when another driver hit him from behind.

The impact forced both vehicles off the road and into a construction zone. Wing died at the scene.

“That makes it so much more difficult,” said Brian Pierce, with the Elk City Fire Department. “When somebody with such a big heart passes away it’s, it’s incredibly difficult.”

The department says Wing was driving home from work the night of the crash. Pierce got the tragic news the next day. He says Wing had been with the department a little over a year.

“He was that humble fireman and friends and family, they referred to him as the gentle giant,” said Pierce. “That was just so incredibly true for Jacob.”

There was an outpouring of support from neighboring fire departments, including Clinton, who had fire trucks on the overpasses going through town.

Outside of work, Wing was also an instructor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in their medical laboratory technician program. Pierce tells me the school will now hold a memorial scholarship for Wing in his honor.

A service for Wing is planned for this Tuesday, February 15th.