Shady Spring, WV (WOAY)- The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a deadly crash that took place early Wednesday, April 23, on Interstate 64 East near Shady Spring.
Just after 5 a.m., deputies responded to the scene near mile marker 136.3, where a tractor-trailer had veered off the road, crashed through a guardrail, and plunged down a steep embankment.
The truck came to rest at the bottom of a sandstone hillside.
When emergency crews arrived, they found the driver and passenger trapped inside the cab of the truck unresponsive.
Firefighters, using heavy equipment and hydraulic tools, worked to remove the victims from the wreckage.
The driver, 33-year-old Macdiel Labrada of Louisville, Kentucky, and the co-driver, 41-year-old Daikel Perdomo, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck was carrying a load of watermelons at the time of the crash.
Investigators believe that speed may have played a role, along with possible brake failure due to the steep terrain.
Sheriff Frank Priddy and Chief Deputy Mike Shelton are urging drivers to slow down and follow traffic laws to prevent tragedies like this.
