WV State Police Are Busy

The Wheeling Intelligencer and other news sources have reported seven (7) truck accidents in twelve (12) days, primarily in Marshall and Wetzel counties of the WV northern panhandle.  One was across the Ohio River in Jefferson county, OH.  Six of these trucks are known to have been serving the Marcellus shale gas industry, and possibly all seven.

1. August 19th — A flatbed pickup truck pulling machinery from a gas drilling site fell partially off of Rine’s Ridge near Graysville in Marshall county after a portion of road crumbled away. This truck had pulled over to the shoulder of the road to allow a larger truck to pass. A similar slip roughly 20 yards from Friday’s accident had recently been repaired. The stretch of road has seen heavy truck traffic over the past year, with signs at the bottom of the roadway warning motorists to use caution and beware of large trucks.

2. August 17th — A truck hauling a crane along U.S. 250 near Belton in Marshall county crashed and flipped onto its side, damaging a bridge. Officials could not confirm that vehicle was commuting to or from a gas drilling rig.

3. August 12th — A water truck serving drilling operations rolled over a 70 foot embankment on Huff Ridge Road in Wetzel county. No injuries occurred in this accident.

 4. August 12th — A truck crashed on Ohio Route 43 in Jefferson county, OH, carrying chemicals to a drilling site. There were no injuries in this accident.

 5. August 11th — A truck hauling drilling wastes rolled about 100 feet down an embankment on Blake Ridge Road in Wetzel county, smashing the truck’s cab.

 6. August 10th — A truck serving a Stone Energy drilling site rolled off American Ridge Road outside New Martinsville in Wetzel county.

 7. August 8th — A fatal accident occurred on US 250 near South Highland Avenue at Moundsville in Marshall county. The driver was killed. Apparently the brakes were defective on the tanker truck carrying by-products or wastes, possibly without the proper documentation in the truck.