Washington man killed in West Virginia accident Thursday
A Washington man was killed on Interstate 70 near Triadelphia, W.Va., Thursday night when a truck hydroplaned on the wet road and struck three vehicles.
According to The Intelligencer of Wheeling, W.Va., Bernard Bachmann, 62, of Washington, was killed in the accident. The truck, driven by Richie Samuel, 44, of Brooklyn, N.Y., apparently crossed the median after hydroplaning.
No other serious injuries were reported. The West Virginia Department of Transportation is investigating.
The accident has ended up garnering national attention thanks to the fact that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada assisted at the scene. The lawmakers had been in St. Clairsville, Ohio, at an event and were returning to their hotel. According to the website Politico, Rubio and Heck saw the accident unfold and pulled over, helping one victim escape from their vehicle and offering assistance to others until emergency medical technicians arrived. Heck, a trained combat surgeon, pronounced Bachmann dead.
Heck is seeking the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada that is being vacated by Harry Reid, the outgoing Senate minority leader. Rubio is seeking a second term in the Senate and was a presidential candidate until he was defeated in his home state’s primary by eventual nominee Donald Trump earlier this year.
In a statement, Rubio offered “prayers and condolences” to Bachmann’s family, and thanked “all the first responders who arrived quickly and did their jobs with swift professionalism.”