A Morgan County man was severely injured in a Tuesday afternoon accident along U.S. 522 south of the Dairy Queen. His female passenger received minor injuries, according to police.
West Virginia State Police Cpl. S.R. Smith said Justin Kesecker, 37, of Great Cacapon was driving southbound on Valley Road when his vehicle crossed over the center line and struck a northbound tractor trailer head on. The incident happened in the area of 1800 Valley Road.
An initial 911 call, made by a nearby business owner, came into Morgan County dispatch at 5:18 p.m.
Kesecker was entrapped in his vehicle, which suffered heavy damage. According to Morgan County 911, firefighters were able to extricate him at 5:38 p.m.
Due to the apparent extent of the driver’s injuries, responders at 5:29 p.m. requested a helicopter to transport Kesecker for treatment. HealthNet landed at Berkeley Springs High School’s football field. Kesecker was flown to INOVA Fairfax for medical care. As of Wednesday morning, police were not able to confirm his condition.
A female passenger was transported to War Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor leg injuries, said Cpl. Smith.
Smith said an investigation into the accident in ongoing, but he said Kesecker appears to have been at fault in the collision. The tractor trailer driver was not injured in the incident and was not charged.
Traffic on U.S. 522 was shut down at least partially for an hour and a half due to the incident. The main county roadway fully reopened at 6:54, according to 911 officials.
Fire and rescue units from Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Company, Hancock and Morgan County EMS responded to the accident.
