The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

September 2, 2010

Beckley man dead in early morning MVA in Fayette County

Sheriff says fastened seatbelt may have saved driver

By Kara Van Pelt Register-Herald Reporter

A Beckley man is dead following an early Thursday motor vehicle accident on U.S. 19, Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler said.

According to a press release from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, Fayette County 911 received a call at 12:46 a.m. reporting a single-vehicle crash just north of the W.Va. 612 intersection in the Hilltop area.

When authorities arrived, they found the driver of the 2005 Dodge Stratus, John Scarbrough, 64, dead at the scene.

A preliminary investigation into the accident indicates that both excessive speed and alcohol use may have been factors in the accident, according to the press release.

Scarbrough was apparently traveling south on 19 when he ran off the roadway and over-corrected resulting in the vehicle sliding sideways as he re-entered the roadway. The vehicle struck an embankment at the bottom of the median which rolled it at least once, authorities said.

Scarbrough was ejected from the vehicle because, the press release says, authorities do believe Scarbrough was not wearing a seatbelt.  A beer can was observed at the scene, the release said, adding that officials at the scene said the driver smelled of alcohol.

The highway was shut down for more than three hours.

“This is another tragic example of the dangers of drinking and driving,” Sheriff Kessler said. “It is just fortunate that no one else was injured or killed in this accident.

“This accident also shows how important it is to wear seatbelts,” he added. “It is quite possible, based on a preliminary analysis of the scene, that Mr. Scarbrough may have survived this accident if he had simply been wearing his seatbelt.”

The accident remains under investigation by Deputies N.D. Hall and S.L. Yarber and Cpl. S.R. Morris of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office. They were assisted by the Oak Hill Police Department, Oak Hill Fire Department, Jan-Care Ambulance and West Virginia Department of Highways.

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

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