Man Killed in Single-Vehicle Rollover Accident on I-79 in Clendenin

September 17, 2010 - Charleston, W.Va. - One man was killed when his vehicle crashed on Interstate 79 early Wednesday morning.

The Charleston Gazette reports that the crash occurred at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday on I-79 close to Clendenin. Benjamin Wheatley, 32, of Chapmanville, was driving his 2000 GMC pickup truck northbound on I-79 when it appears as though he lost control of the vehicle.

According to Lieutenant Bryan Stover of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Department, Wheatley's truck went across the median before returning to the travel lanes. This caused the vehicle to lose control and the truck began to roll. The vehicle finally came to a stop upside-down on the roadway not far from the Clendenin exit.

Wheatley was ejected from the truck during the rollover crash and suffered fatal injuries.  The crash victim died at the scene of the I-79 accident. Lieutenant Stover stated that Wheatley was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, but I-79 had to be closed to all through traffic for several hours after the accident.

The rollover accident remains under investigation.

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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