PARKERSBURG - A woman was killed and a man critically injured Wednesday night when a truck veered off 36th Street and landed in a creek in front of Worthington Elementary School, an official said.
Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin confirmed one female passenger was dead as the result of the single-vehicle crash. The condition of the driver was unknown Wednesday night.
The Wood County Crash Investigation Team and Parkersburg Fire Department responded to the scene around 10:15 p.m., after reports that a vehicle crashed through a guardrail and into Worthington Creek.
Article Photos
Photo by Natalee Seely
Parkersburg fire and police crews and several ambulances responded to 36th Street in front of Worthington Elementary School Wednesday night when a pick-up truck crashed into Worthington Creek.
Witnesses reported a red pick-up truck speeding east on 36th Street before the wreck.
Shannon Boone, of Parkersburg, was driving east on 36th Street when the red truck pulled in front of her from an adjacent road.
"The truck pulled out in front of me; it was going really fast," said Boone. "A few seconds later I heard a big crash sound and saw smoke. I drove into the parking lot of the baseball fields and told someone to call 911. I could smell gasoline from a few yards away."
A group of teenagers were playing baseball in the nearby fields, and several small children were in the playground several yards away when the accident occurred.
A guardrail lining 36th Street near a curve in the road was bent where the truck made impact.
"It had to be going pretty fast. I heard no swerving or brakes," said Michelle Barker, a witness who passed the truck on 36th Street. "I hollered for the kids on the playground to make sure they were all safe."
The investigation is on-going, according to Martin, with more information to be released today.
