Fatal Car Accident in Kanawha County Caused By Severe Storms

August 6, 2010 - Charleston, W. Va. - A woman was killed in a car accident in Kanawha County on Wednesday night.

The Charleston Gazette reports that the accident occurred at around 8 p.m. Wednesday, close to Kanawha State Forest, when a tree fell on a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu driving near Matchlock road. The impact of the tree caused driver Edward W. McDougal Jr., 39, of Charleston, to lose control of the vehicle, run off of the road and strike another tree.

One passenger in the Malibu, Linda McDougal, 62, was pronounced dead on the scene. Edward McDougal and Kyle McDougal, 15, and Cynthia McDougal, 12, received injuries in the crash and were transported to a local hospital. Kyle and Cynthia have since been released, but Edward McDougal remains hospitalized as of Thursday morning.

Lt. Sean Crosier of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department stated that the tree fall was caused by lightning and other severe weather conditions from a storm making its way through the Kanawha area.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2008 West Virginia Crash Statistics show that there were 380 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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