CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County man is hospitalized in critical condition after he was struck by a car this morning on a busy highway in Charleston.
Charleston Police say John Jump, 30, of Nitro, was riding his bicycle along U.S. Route 1119 near Trace Fork South of Charleston this morning when he was struck by a passing car.
“He worked the night shift at the Taco Bell there at South Ridge from what we understand,” said Sergeant Randy Sampson of the Charleston Police Traffic Division. “He had just gotten off work and was headed home.”
The incident happened about 5 a.m. and there was fog in the area. Charleston Police are expected to return tot he scene to take more detailed measurements int he case.
“It was dark and foggy and at this time it appears he may have been in the traffic lane,” said Sampson. “The other gentleman was driving and on his way to work didn’t see him until he was right up on him and it was too late to miss him and ended up hitting him from behind.”
The driver, who is from Logan, was not cited in the accident.
Sampson said clearly it was a tragic accident, but added it’s not advisable to ride a bicycle on busy Corridor G, but especially in the traffic lane.
“That’s not a real good place to ride a bicycle to begin with,” Sampson added. “But if for some reason you would have to, it’s advisable for you to get over on the shoulder as close to the guard rail as you can to prevent this from happening to you.”
Meanwhile, traffic on another busy stretch of highway in the Kanawha Valley was also interrupted Wednesday morning by an accident. Putnam County authorities say a semi caught fire along U.S. Route 35 between Staves Branch and Five and Twenty Mile Creek.
The incident happened about 4:15 a.m. when the trucks brakes caught fire. The fire spread into the trailer. Fire crews were quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames. Cleanup has been underway ever since.
Nobody was injured in the accident which happened in the south bound lanes west of Winfield.