Driver Dies When Semi Crashes Into Overpass on I-79

December 23, 2010 - Fairmont, W.Va. - One man died in a tractor trailer accident on Interstate 79 Wednesday morning.

WDTV reports that the accident happened at about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday on I-79 close to mile marker 131. Ronnie Lee Dennison, 60, of Louisville, Kentucky, was driving a tractor trailer northbound on the interstate when he apparently lost control of the vehicle.

According to West Virginia State Police, the truck crashed into a bridge pier that supports the Route 73 overpass. The tractor trailer, heavily damaged from the crash, then caught fire.

Dennison was pronounced dead on the scene. No other vehicles or persons were involved in the accident.

Investigators stated that the truck was owned by Derby City Trucking of Louisville, Kentucky. Dennison was en route to Pennsylvania for a delivery at the time of the accident.

I-79 was blocked to through traffic for some time following the accident. Traffic was backed up into Bridgeport. As of Wednesday afternoon, all lanes had been reopened except for one and traffic remained considerably congested.

The truck accident is under ongoing investigation by the West Virginia State Police and police are asking witnesses to please contact West Virginia State Police at 304-367-2701.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2009 West Virginia Crash Statistics show that there were 356 fatalities as a result of car accidents in West Virginia.

In an effort to raise awareness of common factors in serious and fatal car accidents in West Virginia, our firm routinely publishes news items about traffic crashes in our region.

Common West Virginia accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car crashes;
• tractor-trailer accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• distracted driver crashes.

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