CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Sheriff’s Deputies believe an out of town truck driver may have been misled by his GPS navigation system. The driver wound up in trouble early Thursday morning in a remote area of Kanawha County.
The semi hauling a load of building materials wound up flipping over a 50 foot embankment around 5:30 a.m. trying to negotiate the narrow and winding Hurricane Road near Frame in northern Kanawha County. The truck landed on its top and spill its load of mostly dimensional lumber all over the hillside.
Authorities said they have been unable to locate the driver. Initially it was believed he might be burred in the wreckage. However, a thorough search of the truck and debris revealed no sign of him. Authorities add nobody has checked into a hospital. They’re still working to determine the truck’s owner and the identity of the driver.
The steep terrain has made recovery of the truck and its load extremely difficult. A plan is in the works to remove the debris and the state Department of Environmental Protection is on scene to monitor the fuel leak and assess risk to nearby streams. Authorities anticipate it may take well into the night to remove the wreckage from the scene.