CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Police have released the names of the two people who died after a minivan crashed over an interstate wall in Charleston and fell to the ground beneath during Thursday evening rush hour.
Charleston police said Lori Fernandez, 59, of Shallotte, NC. and Janet Bookout, 58, of Calabash, NC, were traveling through Charleston at around 5 p.m. Thursday when the wreck occurred.
One of them died at the scene, the second died later at a Charleston hospital.
Charleston Police Sgt. Travis Bailes said on MetroNews “Midday” Friday that a third person in the vehicle is hospitalized in stable condition.
“They were seated towards the back of the minivan,” Bailes said. “They were thankfully wearing their restraining devices and everything that they were supposed to be doing.”
Bailes said it’s unknown yet whether or not Fernandez and Bookout were wearing their seatbelts.
The elevated interstate in the Capital City has been the scene of five different crashes this year, Bailes said. He said that six people have died because of those wrecks.
“There’s not one single explanation for it,” Bailes said. “When you look at the previous crashes, not counting the one from (Thursday), we see different circumstances, but in all of them, speed and failure to maintain control are the recurring factors. That just tells us how important it is for others to slow down, pay attention, and drive accordingly with changing road conditions.”
Bailes said drivers must be responsible on roadways, including in this trouble area.
“You’ve got to slow down, especially if it starts raining, it’s important to not drive impaired, it’s important to drive with seatbelts, it’s very important to keep your phone down,” Bailes said. “Unfortunately, those are all contributors to many of the crashes we see. That’s no different in the past cases here.”
Charleston police said an investigation into the crash is continuing.
Bailes said that crash investigators were busy all through Thursday night, continuing through Friday.
“Finalizing the reconstruction, downloading the black box from the vehicle to determine things like speed, acceleration, and just compiling those together,” Bailes said. “We’ll work with our roadway partners over at DOH to hopefully come up with some solutions.”
Investigators are seeking help from potential eyewitnesses or from anyone that may have relevant video footage.
The CPD Traffic Division can be reached at (304) 348-6400.