The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Police/Courts

May 10, 2007

Police: Teen gets van stuck in wet concrete

Amelia A. Pridemore

State Police say a teenage girl drove through construction zone markers on the West Virginia Turnpike and got stuck in freshly poured concrete.

The 17-year-old girl from Durham, N.C., was driving a Dodge Caravan southbound Wednesday night when she came upon a construction zone near Mossy, Sgt. D.R. Kincaid said.

Kincaid said the girl saw construction zone signs alerting her the right lane was closed ahead but panicked when she entered the zone and saw traffic behind her. The girl screamed for her mother, who was apparently asleep, and asked her what to do. Her mother told her to change lanes.

The girl, who was in the open left lane, then cut into the closed right lane, through construction cones positioned 40 feet apart, Kincaid said. The girl ran across small spots of fresh concrete that had dried, but when she reached a “super long” spot, that concrete was still wet.

The minivan then sank in the concrete, Kincaid said. Concrete covered the two axles of the vehicle.

“She went in deep,” Kincaid said.

The girl, her mother and her 14-year-old brother were not injured, Kincaid said.

Kincaid said several onlookers took pictures with camera phones and a Kanawha County ambulance crew stopped, wondering “how in the world this happened,” Kincaid said.

“It was definitely an unusual thing,” he said. “I hope I don’t see this again.”

The teenage driver obtained her driver’s license only two weeks ago, Kincaid said.

“She was an inexperienced driver handling interstate driving,” he said.

The family was returning to North Carolina after attending a funeral in Youngstown, Ohio, Kincaid said. The girl’s mother was tired and allowed her daughter to drive.

“I feel bad for the family,” he said.

The contractor estimated that replacing that section of concrete could cost between $25,000 and $35,000, Kincaid said.

The driver was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device, Kincaid said.

— E-mail:

apridemore@register-herald.com





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