Falling Waters man dies in I-81 accident

September 17, 2005

MARTINSBURG, W.Va.

A 22-year-old Falling Waters, W.Va., man died early Friday from injuries he sustained in a one-vehicle accident on northbound Interstate 81 in Berkeley County, West Virginia State Police said in a press release.

Citing witness statements, police said a vehicle driven by Derek Nelson Beasley, 22, appeared to be speeding on southbound I-81 about 1:50 a.m. Beasley appeared to lose control of the vehicle while exiting a curve in the roadway, the release said.

After crossing sideways into the center median, the vehicle struck a concrete drainage culvert, passed over the median toward the northbound lane, flipped end over end and rolled several times, according to the release.

Witnesses told police that Beasley was thrown from the vehicle, and his body came to rest near the center line of the northbound lanes of I-81.

Beasley was pronounced dead at the scene by Berkeley County Coroner Dave Brining.

Beasley was born in Hagerstown and was a 2002 graduate of Hedgesville (W.Va.) High School. He had worked for the past two years at Tamko Roofing in Frederick, Md.

A graveside service is scheduled for Monday at Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown.

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