A 24-year-old Oklahoma City man died Friday night after a rollover crash in Seminole County ejected three passengers from the vehicle, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Tywon E. Morton was flown to a hospital along with the three others in his vehicle, but he later died from his injuries, troopers said.
The wreck happened just after 10:20 p.m. Friday, according to KOCO. Troopers say Morton was driving a vehicle east on a Seminole County road approaching U.S. 270 when it left the roadway and rolled. Three passengers inside were fully ejected during the crash, according to OHP officials.
None of the Occupants Were Buckled In
Per the patrol, none of the vehicle's occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the wreck. That detail lines up with a well-documented gap in Oklahoma law: front-seat occupants are required to buckle up, but the state remains the only one in the country that does not mandate seat belts for rear-seat passengers over the age of eight, according to the Law Office of Bryan Garrett.
Federal crash data help explain why full ejection so often turns fatal. Unbelted occupants are roughly 30 times more likely to be thrown from a vehicle during a collision than those who are buckled in, and about 75% of ejection victims die from their injuries, per research compiled by United Tires using CDC and NHTSA figures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has separately found that lap and shoulder belts cut the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45%.
A Familiar Pattern on Rural Highways
In 2021, 59% of 18-to-34-year-olds killed in passenger vehicles were unrestrained. Statewide, Oklahoma's observed seat belt usage rate sat at 86.4% in 2024, below the national daytime average of 91.2%, per data published by the state.
The crash occurred near U.S. 270. A December 2023 crash near NS 3590 Road was fatal, according to the Seminole Producer. Oklahoma recorded 256 unbelted traffic deaths in 2023.
Investigation Still Early, Full Report Weeks Away
Oklahoma Highway Patrol has not released a cause determination beyond the basic sequence of events, and under state administrative procedure troopers have up to 20 days to file a formal crash report, after which it typically stays confidential for another 60 days before public release. That means specifics on speed, possible impairment, or any mechanical failure remain open questions for now. Morton's death adds to a string of fatal rural Oklahoma crashes, including a recent Muskogee County crash and a Bryan County crash that killed an 87-year-old man and injured three medics; Hoodline reported the Bryan County crash.
