High Winds Cause Semi-Truck to Jackknife on I-64

October 29, 2010 - Raleigh County, W.Va. - High winds caused a truck driver to lose control of his truck Monday afternoon, causing the vehicle to overturn.

WBOY reports that the accident happened shortly after 12 p.m. Monday on Interstate 64 in Raleigh County. The truck was hauling a mobile home across Glade Creek Bridge on the interstate when a gust of wind came up. The wind caught the mobile home and overturned the truck, leaving its load hanging off of the side of the bridge.

"The mobile home has a lot of plastic that keeps it covered up," stated Joe Lee Howell, of the West Virginia State Police. "So basically, [it] acts as a sailboat in the wind. So once the wind caught it, it blew it to the left side of the concrete barrier."

When the truck was blown into the concrete barrier, it jackknifed. This caused the vehicle to come to a rest on the opposite side of the roadway, partially off of the bridge.

Due to the crash, both lanes of I-64 were closed to traffic for several hours. It is unclear if there were any injuries in the weather-related truck accident.

Police troopers have warned motorists to take extra precautions on bridges and roadways in similarly windy conditions.

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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