PENDLETON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA — A tractor-trailer loaded with dairy products lost control while descending the steep grade of Allegheny Mountain on US-33 and overturned in Horseshoe Curve Wednesday night, splitting the box trailer open and sending the driver to the hospital — the latest in what local emergency officials say is a troubling pattern of crashes on a stretch of highway they are pushing the state to improve.
Pendleton County WV Office of Emergency Management was dispatched around 8:50 p.m. on October 7. The eastbound truck went out of control in Horseshoe Curve, crossed into the oncoming lane, struck the guardrails, and overturned onto its side. The impact split the box trailer open. The driver suffered injuries and was transported to Grant Memorial Hospital in Petersburg by Pendleton County Emergency Rescue North Fork Unit.
West Virginia State Police are investigating with assistance from the Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department. Seneca Rocks Volunteer Fire Department and Pendleton OEM also responded.
Pendleton County Emergency Services Coordinator Rick Gillespie said the crash is not an isolated event and called for action. “This dangerous stretch of highway has seen too many truck crashes and needs safety improvements. The WV DOH has responded to my recent correspondence and a meeting with DOH officials and our state senators and delegates has been scheduled for the end of this month. I remain hopeful they will hear what we have to say and find a way to make reasonable improvements to the mountain.”
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