Two men hurt in I-81 crash in Berkeley County

July 22, 2004|by CANDICE BOSELY

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Two people were injured Wednesday afternoon when a Chevrolet pickup ran off the side of Interstate 81 and rolled in the median, according to police.

The driver of the truck, Robert J. Gilmore, 47, of Bunker Hill, W.Va., was flown to Washington Hospital Center for treatment, West Virginia State Police Sgt. C.C. Morton said.

A spokeswoman at the hospital said Gilmore was listed in good condition.

The passenger, David Lee Hose, 26, of Kearneysville, W.Va., was trapped inside the truck for a short period of time, Morton said. Hose was taken to City Hospital, where his condition could not be confirmed.

The accident happened at 1:15 p.m. between the Winchester Avenue and Tabler Station Road exits, about 11 miles north of the Virginia state line.

Gilmore, who was towing a utility trailer, was heading south in the fast lane when he ran off the left edge of the road, police said.

The truck came to rest in the median. No other cars were involved, police said.

Morton and a volunteer with Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department both said they believe Gilmore was ejected from the truck. Neither Gilmore nor Hose was wearing a seat belt, police said.

No charges had been filed in the wreck, which is under investigation. West Virginia State Police Trooper S.R. Smith is handling the case.

At the site of the accident, traffic was slow in both directions as drivers slowed to look at the wreckage. A few honked horns and yelled at a television news crew.

Debris was scattered in the median. A cap that had been over the truck's bed had been torn off and was put back into the truck, along with other items.

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