Published: September 06, 2009 10:32 pm      

Six perish in five different tragedies

A fire in Fayette County was just one of several tragic events police and emergency crews responded to Sunday.



Woman dies in Fayette house fire; five others escape



A Fayette County woman is dead after an early Sunday morning house fire, but authorities say no foul play is suspected in her death.

The victim has been identified as Dawn Michelle Breckenridge, 33, of Robson, said Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler.

At 3:37 a.m. Sunday, the Fayette County 911 center was notified of a residential structure fire in the Robson area, Kessler said.

When firefighters arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later, they found a fully engulfed structure fire with heavy black smoke visible and flames venting from both the front and rear of the house.

Neighbors and family members at the scene told firefighters a woman was apparently trapped inside, Kessler said.

When firefighters entered the residence, they found Breckenridge’s body in the living room. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters requested law enforcement assistance and state fire marshals to investigate the fire’s cause.

Assistant State Fire Marshal Paul Gill and Fayette County sheriff’s Deputy W.K. Willis, the department’s arson investigator, examined the scene, Kessler said.

The preliminary examination indicated the cause appeared to be electrical, and the fire’s cause was determined to be accidental.

Breckenridge’s body has been transferred to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston, Kessler said. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death.

“No foul play is suspected in this death,” Kessler noted. “It is a matter of routine in cases of this nature to have the body examined by a pathologist to determine the cause and manner of death.”

Five other occupants of this house, Kessler said, were able to escape without injury after a smoke detector alerted them.

“While it is tragic that Ms. Breckenridge perished in this fire, the fact that five others escaped from this fire without injury proves the value of installing smoke detectors in their residences and to regularly check and change the batteries in these smoke detectors at least twice a year,” Kessler said. “Each time the time changes is a good time to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors.”

This incident remains under investigation by Gill, Willis and the Fayette County sheriff’s detective bureau, Kessler said. The Loup Creek, Armstrong Creek, Montgomery and Boomer fire departments responded to the scene.



One killed in Raleigh/Boone county line ATV accident



One man is dead after a Sunday afternoon ATV accident along the Raleigh/Boone county line, State Police said.

The victim has been identified as T.J. Grayley, 26, of Whitesville, said Sgt. Michael Baylous, public information officer for the West Virginia State Police.

At some point before the accident, Trooper D. White of the Whitesville detachment tried to initiate a traffic stop, Baylous said. However, whether or not a pursuit ensued is unclear.

State Police are working to piece together details of this accident, and they will “definitely” be released at a future time. However, they are declining to release more until information is reviewed and investigated.

“We want to make sure everything is in line before making (an additional) statement,” Baylous said. “We want to make sure we have the correct facts before releasing any information to anyone.”



Oak Hill police: Five-year-old boy run over by car dies



A 5-year-old boy was killed Saturday evening after he was run over by a car in Oak Hill, police said.

The victim’s name was not available Sunday.

Around 6 p.m. Saturday, Oak Hill police officers were dispatched to Bond Avenue, according to a department release. The preliminary investigation indicates a 5-year-old boy had gotten inside a parked vehicle and knocked it out of gear.

The child then fell from the moving vehicle and was run over, the release stated. The boy was taken to Plateau Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Cpl. C.A. Young is investigating the incident, the release stated. Oak Hill Police Sgts. J.L. Kirk and R.S. Prince, West Virginia state troopers, Oak Hill firefighters and emergency medical service personnel assisted at the scene.



Police: Two killed when BMW hits utility pole, flips



Two people were killed early Sunday morning after a BMW struck a utility pole and flipped onto its top, authorities said.

Both the vehicle’s driver and the passenger were pronounced dead at the scene, Raleigh County sheriff’s Cpl. W.R. Killen said. Their names are being withheld pending family notification and the continuing investigation.

The incident on W.Va. 16 in the Price Hill area of Bradley was reported at 2:56 a.m. Sunday. Apparently, one of the victims was driving a 1989 BMW northbound when the car exited a left-hand curve and went off the roadway’s right side, Killen said. The vehicle followed a ditch line before going up an embankment, striking a utility pole and flipping onto its top.

Both the driver and passenger were partly ejected, and they had to be extricated by Bradley-Prosperity and Mount Hope firefighters, Killen said. Speed was a factor, Killen said.



Missing man found dead after apparent motorcycle wreck



A man was found dead in Summers County Sunday afternoon after an apparent motorcycle wreck, and he is believed to be a Greenbrier County man reported missing 10 days ago, police said.

The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification, said Summers County sheriff’s Cpl. T.J. Cochran.

Around 1 p.m. Sunday, Deputy John Farmer found the man’s body on the Greenbrier River’s bank along W.Va. 3, Cochran said. The location is between Lowell and Alderson. Cochran later came to assist.

The man apparently died after a motorcycle accident, and his body is believed to have been at that location for some time, Cochran said. The location was only 30 feet away from Route 3. But because it was over an embankment, a passing motorist could not have seen it.

Although deputies must await positive identification, the man’s wallet and identification were found at the scene. The identification matched that of an Alderson man who was reported missing 10 days ago in Greenbrier County.

— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com