Victim May Have Fallen Asleep at Wheel Prior to Fatal Route 94 Truck Accident

January 11, 2011 - Racine, W.Va. - Police are speculating whether a man who died in a collision with a tractor trailer on Monday morning may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

WBOY reports that the fatal accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. Monday on Route 94 near Racine. Officials from the Boone County Sheriff's Department stated that Travis Dewayne Clendenin, 31, of Peytona, was travelling southbound in his Chevrolet when he collided with a tractor trailer carrying steel railroad rails.

Clendenin was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the tractor trailer, Johnny Fauch Jr., 36, of Williamson, and a passenger in the tractor trailer were uninjured in the crash.

Deputies of the Boone County Sheriff's Department have not yet concluded investigations into the crash. However, initial reports indicate that Clendenin may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing his vehicle to drift into the northbound lane of traffic and collide head on with the tractor trailer.

Route 94 was closed to traffic until at least noon Monday.

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.

If you or a family member has been named in this blog and you would like the information to be removed please contact us and we will promptly accommodate your request.