BOMONT, W.Va. — A night out ended tragically with one teenager dead and 10 more injured in Clay County.
State police said an 2002 F-150 extended-cab pickup truck lost control on Route 36 in the Bomont community in Clay County and crashed around 4 a.m. Wednesday. Troopers say six passengers were in the cab of the truck and five were riding in the bed.
“One of the occupants of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene,” said State Police Sargent Greg Stalnaker. “Ten other people were transported to Charleston area hospitals.”
Troopers identified 17-year-old Kara Conley, of Bomont, as the fatality. The driver was identified as Isaac Murphy, 18. Troopers said he apparently lost control while traveling at a high rate of speed.
“They were headed south on Route 36, veered off the right and went through a guard rail,” said Stalnaker. “They traveled up a creek bank and hit a tree, where the truck overturned on its side.”
The truck traveled 140 feet off the road.
Troopers said a small amount of marijuana was found in the vehicle, but stressed it’s hard to say to whom it belonged. On Wednesday troopers were trying to interview each passenger to determine what was going on leading up to the wreck.
“The rumor has it, which we haven’t exactly confirmed, they were out ghost-hunting,” he said. “I’d say young teenagers trying to possibly scare one another, but until we get the statements we’re not 100-percent sure on that.”
All the occupants of the truck suffered some injuries, with the two in most critical condition undergoing emergency surgery in Charleston.