Truck driver arrested for DUI after crash on W.Va. Turnpike; roadway reopen
UPDATE 8/25/22 @ 7:50 p.m.
FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - The West Virginia Turnpike is back open Thursday night after an early morning crash in Fayette County involving a tractor-trailer driver arrested for DUI, according to the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
The accident, which happened just after midnight, also involved a hazardous chemical spill involving Alkyl Dimethylamine, which is primarily used as a cleaning agent.
All lanes of the roadway were closed more than 19 hours during the cleanup.
ORIGINAL STORY
FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A truck driver was arrested for DUI Thursday morning after the semi he was driving overturned blocking all lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike.
The accident happened just after midnight in the northbound lane on the Skitter Creek Bridge just after midnight when the driver lost control, jackknifed, and crossed the barrier wall.
The crash blocked both northbound and southbound lanes.
According to the criminal complaint, when officers made contact with the driver, Dennis Eugene West, of Moncks Corner, SC they could smell alcohol on his breath.
The complaint states West failed field sobriety tests and a breath test at the scene of the accident.
West was placed under arrest for DUI and taken to the West Virginia State Police Turnpike office in Beckley to be processed.
Another breath test revealed West’s blood-alcohol level to be .128, officers say.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is currently responding to the chemical spill that resulted from the tractor trailer crash.
A preliminary assessment indicated that the truck was hauling a minimum of 12 275-gallon totes of Alkyl Dimethylamine, which is primarily used as a cleaning agent.
An environmental contractor is currently onsite and remediating the area. The contractor will have to inspect and remediate the crash site before the amount of material being hauled and how much was spilled can be determined.
Staff from the WVDEP’s Emergency Response, Environmental Enforcement, and Hazardous Waste sections are also onsite, monitoring all aspects of the situation. Approximately nine miles of Paint Creek has been potentially impacted and fish kill has been observed.
Both the State Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and the Division of Natural Resources (DNR) have been notified. DHHR has alerted all drinking water intakes downstream of the spill and DNR will conduct a fish assessment once remediation is complete.
“We have been and will continue to coordinate with other state agencies and local first responders to ensure the site and impacted areas are cleaned up as soon as possible,” said WVDEP Cabinet Secretary Harold Ward.
Further information has not been released.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - All lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike are closed Thursday morning after a tractor-trailer carrying hazardous chemicals crashed just north of Pax.
The accident happened in the northbound lane on the Skitter Creek Bridge just after midnight when the driver lost control, jackknifed, and crossed the barrier wall.
The crash has blocked both northbound and southbound lanes.
Traffic heading north will follow Turnpike Detour A and detour at the North Beckley Exit 48 (US 19), proceed past Summersville to Interstate 79 Exit 57, then south to Charleston.
Southbound traffic will also follow Turnpike Detour A. From Charleston, traffic should follow Interstate 79 north from Charleston to Exit 57, then proceed south on US 19 to North Beckley, Exit 48.
The DEP emergency response team, Pax Fire Department, West Virginia State Police, and West Virginia Parkways Authority crews are all on scene and have the spill contained. An environmental contractor is in route from Poca to begin the cleanup process.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.