DUNBAR, W.Va. — A Kentucky truck driver and his wife walked away from a accident on Interstate 64 in Kanawha County Monday afternoon after the UPS tractor trailer he was driving went airborne, through a guardrail, eventually skidding under the bridge.
The accident happened at about 2:20 p.m. westbound on the I-64 South Charleston-Dunbar bridge. It was raining at the time, state DOH spokesperson Carrie Bly said.
“The driver says that he lost control. He basically hit the concrete wall, rolled over, took out a light pole and slid back down the hill,” Bly said.
The empty rig wrapped around one of the bridge’s piers above Dunbar Avenue.
Amazingly, there were no injuries, Bly said.
“Your first question is, ‘How’s the driver?’ The driver and his wife, who was in the truck as well, were just up walking around. They were calling family telling everybody they were okay. To us that’s just amazing,” Bly said.
There was no significant damage to the bridge.
It was likely going to take into Monday night to remove the wreckage. It was going to require the closing of a stretch of CSX tracks and a large crane.
The truck was empty, which may have contributed to the accident, Bly said.
“In the investigation–an empty truck with it raining and if it was windy–that possibly could have a played a role in losing control as well,” she said.
The cab of the semi was removed from under the bridge shortly before 10 p.m. Monday night, with the trailer remaining. Dunbar Police estimated that Dunbar Avenue would reopen around midnight.