A fatal motor vehicle accident on I-79 in White Hall, WV caused diesel fuel and oil to spill into the Tygart River. On Tuesday evening, a large truck was traveling on the Tygart River Bridge when it struck a guardrail. The accident caused the truck to burst into flames. The driver of the vehicle died at the scene. The victim, Larry Atha, was the President of Atha Trucking.
Extensive clean-up efforts have begun to contain the spill. The Valley Volunteer Fire Department used more than 100 bags of an absorbent to collect the oil and diesel fuel from the road. The left lane of I-79 has reopened. The right lane will remain closed until an inspection has been completed due to the extensive heat damage.
