PINCH, W.Va. — A freak accident in Kanawha County has cost a motorcycle rider his life and left a woman injured.
According to Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Burns the pair came upon a downed tree in the middle of Rutledge Road Tuesday night around 8 o’clock.
“Originally the call came in for a downed tree that had caught on fire due to the power lines. As deputies responded, they learned a motorcycle driver had come upon the tree and had a female passenger on the back. According to her, she exited the motorcycle and he attempted to turn around. That’s when the power lines fell and struck him,” said Burns.
The man suffered electrocution from the live wires. The woman told investigators she tried repeatedly to get the power lines away from him, but she too suffered shock. She was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries, but those were not life-threatening.
Burns said the live power lines also caused the gas tank of the motorcycle to catch fire. The rider died at the scene.
Investigators so far have not released names of those involved pending notification of family.