BERKELEY COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A fatal vehicle crash early Saturday morning on Interstate 81 Northbound left two passengers dead and the driver facing charges.
According to Berkeley County Chief Deputy of Staff Eric Burnett, Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene at the six-mile marker at approximately 3:32 a.m. on November 30, 2024.
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Medical personnel were first to arrive and found a vehicle overturned in the median.
One passenger had been ejected from the vehicle, and another was trapped inside. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, identified as Omar Magdiel Arguelle Ortega, 27, of Martinsburg, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators determined the vehicle was traveling northbound when it veered into the median and rolled several times.
Ortega was found to be impaired at the time of the crash and was arrested on two counts of DUI causing death.
Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the deceased.
Both victims carried U.S. and Mexican identification with conflicting names. It is believed they may not be legal residents, according to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.
