Tractor trailer driver killed in accident
A tractor trailer truck fell from the roadway on U.S. 50 at Bonds Creek Bridge Sunday morning. The driver, Rosalynn Russell, 57, Fairmont, was killed, according to the Ritchie County Sheriff’s Department. (Photo Provided)
A tractor trailer fell around 200 feet off U.S. 50 Sunday. The accident, which claimed the life of the driver, remains under investigation. (Photo Provided)
A tractor trailer truck fell from the roadway on U.S. 50 at Bonds Creek Bridge Sunday morning. The driver, Rosalynn Russell, 57, Fairmont, was killed, according to the Ritchie County Sheriff’s Department. (Photo Provided)
A tractor trailer fell around 200 feet off U.S. 50 Sunday. The accident, which claimed the life of the driver, remains under investigation. (Photo Provided)
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PENNSBORO -- A driver was killed in a tractor trailer truck accident Sunday morning on U.S. 50 in Ritchie County, officials said.
The cause of the single-vehicle accident is unknown, according to Maj. Brian Davis from the Ritchie County Sheriff's Department. An investigation is ongoing to determine if the accident was vehicle-related or medically related, Davis said.
The driver of the truck, Rosalynn Russell, 57, Fairmont, was killed, he said.
According to the Ritchie County 911 Center, Ellenboro, Pennsboro and Harrisville fire departments and the sheriff's department and EMS responded to a call received at 10:22 a.m. Sunday.
The accident occurred in the eastbound lane of Route 50, according to Davis. The vehicle exited the roadway into the median at the Bonds Creek Bridge, Davis said.
The truck was an iLease & Rentals vehicle and was the only vehicle involved in the accident, he said.
According to James White, emergency management director, the truck went between the bridges and fell into the creek, about 200 feet down. First responders were on the scene for about nine hours to retrieve the vehicle from the creek, he said.
Oil and fluid from the truck leaked into the stream and an environmental team was on the scene Monday morning for cleanup, which should take a couple of days, White said. It was a small enough amount that won't be an issue, he said.
Every fire department from Ritchie County responded as well as the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, White said.
"It was very hazardous working conditions due to it being between the two bridges, the location and the rain from the incident," White said.
Cantwell Wrecker used equipment to drag the tractor and trailer over the hill, Davis said.
Route 50 was closed until about 10 p.m. Sunday and motorists were detoured through Glendale. Other than traffic congestion, there were no issues with the detour, Davis said.
The driver was wearing a seatbelt and there was no indication she had passed out, according to the footage gathered by the company that observed the driver, Davis said. Further inspection of the vehicle will indicate what caused the incident, he said.
On the scene, nothing on the vehicle indicated there was a mechanical issues due to the extent of the damage, he said.
"The impact is so far of a drop that right now they were unable to tell," Davis said.