On Tuesday, December 7th, those who stayed tune to the weather were aware that a small amount of snow and cold air would be moving into the area over night.
Around 4:37 AM, on December 8th, the National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement announcing “Slick Travel Due to Fallen Snow”.
Then the Doddridge County Schools first announced a two hour delay that was followed quickly with a School Closing Announcement.
Around 5:02 the Doddridge Ritchie 911 Central Dispatch began receiving calls with the first call being at Tollgate and Rt 50, with a total of seven reported wreck calls on that day.
In this seven call total, was one around 7:05 around the Middle School (see pictures) that ended up with a second alarm, due to a car sliding into and hitting Sheriff’s Sargent Chad Modesitt while he was completing the wreck report.
After being taken to Ruby Memorial by the DCAA, Sargent Modesitt was given an all clear and sent home the next day.
There was a total of seven reported automobile accidents that day in Doddridge County, three on Rt 50, Indian Fork Rd, WV Rt 18 South, Marie Street and Taylor Drain.
Upon further research it was found that the County Roads are attended to by our local State Roads Garage where Rt. 50 east of the Rt 50/Rt18 intersection is cleared by the Tunnel Hill Crew from Harrison County and west of the intersection is covered by the Ellenboro Garage.
This places our citizens, Volunteer Fire Departments and Law Enforcement in a very precarious position especially when our County seems to be at the end of the line when it comes to clearing Rt. 50.
On this day, a State Road worker was seen hand shoveling the snow/ice at the Rt 50/Rt 18 intersection.
It is unclear as to why, with the weather report stating that we would have snow, the roads were not pretreated and ready for those who had to be on them to go about their daily activities.
It is also not understood why Doddridge County doesn’t have their own crews, truck and road treatment to cover Rt 50 as it is the road used by most citizens to get to and from their employment.
It is with sincere hope that our local citizens and government will encourage those at the State to correct this problem and to protect all of those who are traveling through our County.