Nearly two years ago, Rick and Adam French were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Unfortunately, the WV State Police have tarnished Rick's name by making the accusation that he caused this accident. Please read the article below that I wrote for the family, and share it with as many people as possible. I have sent it to Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's Facebook inbox. Let's make sure the WV State Police get this right.
Independent investigations reveal WV State Police in the wrong about Scott Depot men killed in car crash
On Super Bowl Sunday, February 1, 2009, Richard French, a Safety Supervisor for the CNX Gas Division of Consol Energy, and his 22 year old son, Adam, a student at WVU, were traveling northbound on I-79 from their home in Scott Depot, WV. They were traveling to Morgantown, WV where Rick maintained a work apartment that he and Adam shared. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on that clear evening, they were involved in a head-on collision with a pick up truck near Clarksburg. Rick and Adam French, as well as the young driver of the pick up truck, were killed.
In a rushed decision that involved no accident reconstruction analysis or screening of 911 calls, Sgt. Glen P. Doyle and Trooper Jamie L. Rickard of the West Virginia State Police concluded that Rick and Adam were traveling the wrong way on I-79 and caused this horrific crash. Additionally, Sgt. Doyle and Trooper Rickard reported to media outlets that alcohol did not play a factor in this accident. Unfortunately, statewide media reported these inaccuracies the following day. In reality, Rick and Adam French were killed by a drunk driver.
Based on two independent investigations conducted by the law firms of Steptoe & Johnson and Hunt & Lees, the West Virginia State Police clearly arrived at an erroneous conclusion. After conducting a thorough investigation, it was determined that the driver of the pick up truck had a blood alcohol content level of .16 (nearly twice the legal limit) and made an illegal U-turn on I-79. The driver traveled approximately three-tenths of a mile in the wrong direction before striking the vehicle of Rick and Adam. In fact, a cursory review of 911 calls determined that a truck driver had reported erratic driving by the pick up, as well as the illegal U-turn, prior to the accident.
All relevant insurance companies reviewing this accident have arrived at the same conclusion: Rick and Adam French were not driving the wrong way on I-79. They were innocent victims who were killed by the irresponsible actions of a drunk driver. Unfortunately, the West Virginia State Police refuse to accept this truth and will not change their report, despite requests from Steptoe & Johnson and Hunt & Lees.
Facts that the West Virginia State Police do not acknowledge or accept:
• The driver of the pick up truck had a blood alcohol content level of .16 (nearly twice the legal limit). This blood alcohol content information was indicated in the West Virginia State Police’s accident report, yet Sgt. Doyle and Trooper Rickard reported that alcohol did not play a factor in the accident.
• The West Virginia State Police did not review any 911 calls, one of which indicated the driver of the pick up was driving erratically and made an illegal U-turn on I-79.
• The West Virginia State Police did not conduct an accident reconstruction analysis that would have led to a more informed conclusion on how the accident took place.
• While stopping for gas in Elkview, Rick had to enter his mileage into the pump in order to use his company gas card. Based on the mileage he entered at the pump, this indicated the exact mileage from the gas station to the scene of the accident leaving no indication that Rick and Adam would be going the wrong way on I-79.
• The West Virginia State Police assumed that Rick and Adam traveled to the Meadowbrook exit on I-79 North, got off at the exit and perhaps stopped at a convenience store, and then re-entered I-79 going south in the northbound lanes. Based on the time indicated on the gas station receipt from Elkview, Rick and Adam would have been traveling consistently at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour in order for this scenario to be accurate. Additionally, there was no transaction that would have indicated their stop at a convenience store, as well as no video footage that would place them at a convenience store or ATM.
• The West Virginia State Police assumed that Rick and Adam would be driving south in the northbound lanes simply because the two were from Scott Depot. Rick maintained a work apartment in Morgantown due to his job placement for Consol Energy in the Waynesburg, PA area. Because Adam was a senior at WVU, the two shared this apartment. Rick and Adam traveled I-79 weekly over a four year period, leaving no speculation that the two would be unfamiliar with the road. Additionally, cell phone records indicate that Rick had spoken with his wife, Jean, just 10 minutes prior to the accident, diminishing any speculation that the two could have been sleepy or confused.
Please urge the West Virginia State Police to correct this wrong.
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