MILTON, W.Va. — Police released the names Saturday of a Lincoln County family involved in a double fatal traffic crash Friday night on Interstate 64 near the Milton exit.
The collision claimed the lives of Skylor Cooper, 3, and Sarah Cooper, 1, and injured their mother, Siera Burgess, 26, and a 7-year-old sibling, police said.
Burgess, of Branchland, was traveling east at around 7 p.m. Friday and lost control of her vehicle. It crossed the median and collided with a westbound truck pulling a camper. The two vehicles then struck a semi which was also traveling west.
The toddlers died at the scene. Burgess was in critical condition at a Huntington hospital Saturday afternoon. The other child was in stable condition.
Milton police told WSAZ-TV Saturday alcohol and drug impairment are being investigated as contributing factors in the crash. The investigation hasn’t been completed.
The tragedy struck investigating officers hard, one of the first Milton police officers on the scene knew Burgess.
“One of my officers went to high school with the driver,” said Milton Chief of Police Joe Parsons.
The crash shutdown I-64 in both directions near the scene for hours and backed up traffic for miles throughout the night. Motorists were detoured off the interstate at Milton and Hurricane. Accident reconstruction teams were on the scene working much of the night.