On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, members of the Fairmont Detachment of the West Virginia State Police responded to a vehicle fire with possible entrapment on I-79 South near mile marker 132.5, according to a press release.

It was concluded the vehicle had struck a guardrail end before traveling across both southbound lanes. The vehicle then struck the guardrail again where it appears the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle came to rest in the right lane on the Tygart River Bridge.

The driver, identified as Larry Lee Atha, 71 of Bridgeport, West Virginia was unable to escape the vehicle and was pronounced dead on scene. This investigation is active and ongoing.