From the Wheeling Intelligencer, Jan 28, 2019

MIDDLEBOURNE — Two Jay Bee Oil and Gas Inc. workers died Sunday when their work truck crashed over an embankment on the south side of Jug in Tyler Country.

The Tyler County Sheriff’s officials said the accident occurred at about 9:01 p.m. Sunday. Tyler County E-911 Center received the call that a dump truck was over the embankment in the Jug turn on West Virginia 18, just south of Middlebourne.

Those arriving on the scene of the accident discovered that a water bottle truck had traveled through the guard rail and over the embankment on W.Va. 18. The vehicle was said to be a water truck owned by Jay Bee Oil and Gas Inc. in Cairo, West Virginia.

The driver was identified as Curtis E. Etheredge Jr. of Harrisville, and the passenger was Eric V. Hardman of Parkersburg. Fire crews had to extricate the victims from the vehicle. Etheredge was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hardman was rushed to Sistersville General Hospital by Middlebourne EMS. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office and first responders with the Middlebourne, Sistersville, Alma and Shirley volunteer fire departments and Middlebourne EMS responded to the scene. Tyler County Office of Emergency Management, West Virginia Division of Highways and the West Virginia Medical Examiner’s Office assisted the sheriff’s office.

A towing company located in Cairo worked in conjunction with Jackson’s Towing of New Martinsville to remove the vehicle. The crash shut down W.Va. 18 for about four hours. The road was officially reopened early today.

The Tyler County Sheriff’s Office is leading the accident investigation.

https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2019/01/two-water-truck-workers-die-in-crash/

From an Article by Alan Olson, Wheeling Intelligencer, January 25, 2018

Emergency crews respond after a water tanker crashed into a Cameron Ridge Road home late Tuesday.

CAMERON — Marshall County Sheriff’s deputies confirm that the driver of a tanker truck which slammed in a residence Tuesday night has died, though it was not believed to be from injuries sustained in the crash.

Around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday evening, deputies received a 911 call about a water truck veering off the edge of Cameron Ridge Road — and crashing into a home. After reporting to the scene, deputies found the driver, Kevin Ziemke, of Salisbury, Pa., dead at the scene.

The home sustained minor structural damage, though the homeowner escaped injury.

Marshall County Chief Deputy Bill Helms said that an autopsy would be performed, as is standard procedure for situations like this. However, as of Wednesday, officials believe Ziemke died before his vehicle left the road.

“We don’t have any reason to believe he was drunk or anything like that, but we believe he may have suffered some kind of ailment that we believe caused the crash,” Helms said. “They checked the crash. The reason we believe he expired before that is because there were no skid marks and no corrective actions taken by the driver.”

The truck likely hauled water used for Marcellus and Utica shale natural gas fracking operations, as vehicles of this type are now common throughout the region.

Source: http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2018/01/driver-dead-after-cameron-tanker-truck-crash/

By Tate Blanchard, WTRF News 7, January 9, 2018

Brooke County, W.Va. (WTRF) – UPDATE: Brooke County Sheriff’s Office confirms Route 2 is re-opened Tuesday morning after a tanker truck crash Monday night.

UPDATE: According to Capt. Pizer at Brooke County Sheriff Office, the tanker truck lost control and dropped off of the side of the road, hitting the guardrail and wall. The truck was carrying brine water, which is not dangerous.(?)

The water tank came off the truck and exploded when it hit the road, spilling the brine water.

The truck is blocking the northbound lane of WV Route 2, and part of the southbound lane. The cleanup will take more than an hour. The Route 2 will remain closed.

The DOH is on the scene to help with cleanup. The truck driver was not injured.

ORIGINAL: WV Route 2 is shut down in both directions near Beech Bottom just over the Brooke County line due to an accident. 

Right now,  dispatch isn’t releasing many details regarding the accident, but traffic is being diverted around the scene.

WTRF News 7 has a crew on the way and we’ll bring you an update as soon as new information is available. 

From WDTV, News 5, December 29, 2017

TAYLOR COUNTY, W.Va. — US Route 250, near Turkey Run Road in Taylor County, is currently closed due to a tractor trailer accident.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident and there were no injuries.

The tractor trailer was carrying sand and a small amount of oil was spilled on the road.

Crews are working to clean up scene. Drivers should avoid the area if possible.

Source: http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Route-250–467332893.html

NOTE: US Route 250 is one of the crookedest national highways ever. Between Richmond and Charlottesville it was originally designated by three chops on the trees and became known as Three Chopt Road. Many of the original sections are still included.

From WDTV, CLARKSBURG, WV, Nov 29, 2017

HARRISON COUNTY, W.Va. (WDTV) — Officials are on the scene of an accident involving a water truck on Saltwell Road in Harrison County.

The truck took out a guardrail, rolling over. The driver was able to make it out of the truck on his own, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Harrison County Sheriff’s deputies are directing traffic, but traffic is not backed up at this time.

The cause of the accident is unclear at this time.

Stay with 5 News for updates.

Source: http://www.wdtv.com/content/news/Crews-on-the-scene-of-a-water-truck-accident-460809083.html

Date: 2017-12-05

NRC Report ID: 1198906

Incident Time: 2017-12-05 03:00:00

Nearest City: Eighty Four, PA

Incident Type: MOBILE

Material: OIL: DIESEL

Medium Affected: WATER

Suspected Responsible Party: WG SATTERLEE & SONS INC.

SkyTruth Analysis

Lat/Long: 40.177634, -80.132383 (Approximate)

Reported Spill Volume: 100 gallon

Report Description

CALLER STATED UN1993 HAZMAT TANKER TRUCK WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE VEHICLE ROLLOVER ACCIDENT.

CALLER STATED 100 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL RELEASED ONTO THE ROADWAY, ADJACENT SHOULDER AND INTO A STORM DRAIN.

CALLER STATED TWO LANES OF A HIGHWAY IS SHUTDOWN DUE TO THE INCIDENT.

By Jim Hamill, WNEP Newswatch 16, September 12, 2017

MONTROSE, PA — A man on trial for causing a deadly crash that killed a U.S. Marine has entered a guilty plea.

Right before the jury would have heard opening statements, Arlan Taft, 60, from Tioga, pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless endangerment in exchange for prosecutors dropping the most serious charges including homicide by vehicle.

Taft left the courthouse in Montrose with his family after admitting his role in the deadly crash in January 2015 in Springville Township. He was driving a water truck for a company in the natural gas industry.

Taft was unable to stop that day near Springville and plowed into Staff Sgt. Andrew Stevens’ vehicle, causing a fire and killing the 27-year-old U.S. Marine.

The Stevens family, including his widow, was in court and tells Newswatch 16 they’re pleased with the outcome of the case.

“It gives us a little more peace and we’re grateful he did take responsibility and we can put this behind us,” said Amanda Novitch, the victim’s sister.

“It’s not that we were hoping for anything harsh, we just wanted him to take responsibility for his actions and we’re grateful he did that.”

“It’s tragic. It shouldn’t have happened,” said defense attorney Ernie Preate. “He missed his shift coming down the hill and his brakes failed. That’s the problem.”

Defense attorneys planned to argue at trial that Taft’s truck that day needed maintenance it didn’t receive, including the brakes.

“They gave him a death trap to drive that day and he didn’t know it,” Preate said.

Even though the family is suing the company, Canyon Environmental, for millions, they still hold Taft, the driver that day, responsible.

“He was in control of that vehicle, regardless of who he thought he had to place the blame on, he was responsible of that vehicle,” Novitch said.

Taft is scheduled to be sentenced in late October. His attorney believes he’ll get probation.

The family of Staff Sgt. Stevens is suing Taft’s employer at the time, Canyon Environmental, in civil court.

Source: http://wnep.com/2017/09/12/guilty-pleas-entered-in-deadly-crash-case/

From WTOV News 9, Steubenville, OH, October 18, 2017

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — A series of accidents resulted in a busy evening for police and fire departments in Jefferson County.

The first accident happened on Ohio 7 northbound 213 interchange. Officials said a motorcycle came out in front of oncoming traffic when it was struck in the rear by a utility truck.

The driver of that truck then lost control and skidded over the median before coming to a full stop against the roadside concrete barrier.

He did not strike any other vehicles on his way down the road and walked away unharmed. One man who was nearby recalls what he saw:

“I was just standing over there when that motorcycle was hit by the truck and that truck just skidded over there,” said witness Ryan Reidy.

“The driver of the motorcycle has serious injuries,” said Jeff Bernard. “He wasn’t wearing a helmet and he did have some head injuries.”

The one male occupant on the motorcycle was considered critically injured and flown to a Pittsburgh area hospital for treatment.

The accident is cleaned up and traffic flow is back to normal.

Around the same time, a semi-truck overturned in Knoxville on Route 152 heading toward Empire. The driver of the truck was uninjured. He said the trailer’s load shifted, twisting his rig as he turned onto a side road.

From WTRF, News 7, November 16, 2017

MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. – The extent of the injuries was unknown after a car and sand truck crashed in Marshall County.

According to Marshall County EMA Director, Tom Hart, the accident happened on Roberts Ridge Thursday afternoon.

Two people were flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Source: http://www.yourohiovalley.com/story/36866000/two-flown-to-hospital-following-crash

By Lacey Palmer, WBOY News 12, November 17, 2017

A vehicle accident occurred on US Route 50 in Harrison County Friday afternoon.

A tractor trailer and truck collided at the intersection of US Route 50 and Sycamore Road near Wolf Summit at approximately 1:15 p.m., according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department.

A red truck heading west attempted to make a right turn onto Wolf Summit Road and was T-boned by a tractor trailer, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officer on scene.

The driver of the truck was transported to United Hospital Center by Harrison County EMS, and the driver of the tractor trailer was not injured, deputies said.

As of 1:45 p.m., traffic on US Route 50 heading eastbound was being rerouted onto the side of the road, and traffic heading westbound was reduced to one lane due to emergency vehicles responding.

The Reynoldsville Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Source: http://www.wvalways.com/story/36872281/traffic-slows-after-vehicle-accident-on-route-50-near-wolf-summit