Deputies: Tractor-trailer removed from hillside, still no sign of driver

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — UPDATED - 2:20 p.m., 3/7/24

Crews have removed an overturned tractor-trailer from a hillside in Kanawha County, but deputies said they still have not been able to locate the driver.

The driver, who still has not been identified, was not found at the scene and has not arrived at any area hospitals, according to a news release from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they are still working to identify where the truck was independently operated or corporately owned. Meanwhile, crews are expected to continue to clean up the area into the nighttime hours.

Those who live in the area should expect major delays and road closures along Hurricane Road until 8 p.m.

UPDATED - 10:20 a.m., 3/7/24

Crews are continuing to search for the driver of a tractor-trailer hauling lumber that rolled over a hillside early Thursday morning in Kanawha County.

Kanawha County deputies said they have not been able to locate or identify the driver of the tractor-trailer that crashed in the 1700 block of Hurricane Road in the Frame area.

Deputies said they believe the truck was attempting to negotiate a series of winding curves when the vehicle likely went off the left shoulder and fell about 50 feet over the hillside, according to a news release.

Crews on scene said the steep and treacherous terrain in the area is making rescue efforts difficult.

A heavy equipment wrecker has been called to the scene and crews are working on a plane to remove the truck and debris, the news release said.

The Department of Environmental Protection is also on scene assessing fluid leakage and the risk of it contaminating nearby streams, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies said they believe the driver was either lost or misguided by GPS as the road is not suitable for large trucks.

ORIGINAL STORY

Crews are searching for the driver of a tractor-trailer after a rollover crash early Thursday morning in Kanawha County.

The crash was reported about 5:30 a.m. on Hurricane Road in the Elkview area, according to Kanawha County dispatchers.

The tractor-trailer was carrying lumber when it rolled off the road into a ditch, according to dispatchers.

Crews on scene said the driver has not been located.