HIGHVIEW, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The driver of a semi-truck hauling a load of frozen chicken has died following a vehicle accident in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Hamprshire County Sheriff’s Office reports that, on September 15, 2023, at approximately 1:33 A.M., Hampshire County 911 Dispatch received a call reporting a semi-truck having crashed into a residence near the intersection of Carpers Pike and Christian Church Road in Highview, WV.
The scene saw response from Cpl. Austin Shockey and Deputy Brandon Liller of the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, along with Capon Springs & Capon Bridge Fire/EMS, Gore Fire, Hampshire County EMS, Augusta EMS, and Round Hill Fire/Rescue.
An investigation into the site of the crash was investigated by Deputies and WV Department of Transportation Officers, who determined that the semi-truck had been traveling north on Carpers Pike. The Semi-truck, a 2000 Peterbilt, had been hauling a load of frozen chicken.
Investigating officers believe that a cow or calf was in the roadway at the time of the incident, causing the driver of the semi-truck to brake hard and subsequently lose control of sizable vehicle. The semi-truck then skidded off the roadway, back on the roadway, then crossed the southbound lane, running off the roadway once more.
The semi-truck then crashed into a garage constructed of cinder blocks, then a large tree stump before eventually coming to a stop in a wood line several hundred feet from the initial point of having utilized the brakes.
The garage is reported by authorities to have been a total loss due to damage sustained as a result of the crash. Two other parked vehicles additionally received damage from flying debris from the garage, along with a home which sustained significant damge from the debris from the garage.
The driver of the semi-truck – identified as Kenneth H. Wren, age 59, of Virginia – had to be extricated from the vehicle by responding Fire and EMS personnel due to extent of the damage sustained by the semi-truck. The driver passed away as a result of his injuries the following day, on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
The scene itself, described by the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office as “massive”, encompassed over approximately 1346 feet. Pertinent factors to the incident and damage sustained are reported to include the animal in the roadway, as well as the speed of the vehicle. The incident remains under investigation by the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office and West Virginia Division of Transportation.
