Man hurt by explosive in Greenbrier County

GREENBRIER COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — A man was taken to a hospital due to being impaled after an explosive allegedly blew up in Greenbrier County.

According to a press release, a member of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call to meet White Sulphur Springs EMS at the Shell station by the Sam Black Church exit off I-64 on Sunday, October 6, 2024.

Information given during the 911 call mentioned that a person was being transported by a personal car to the Shell station due to complaints of abdominal pain, where they would then meet EMS. Information later mentioned that the person was possibly impaled by a foreign object.

Once members of law enforcement arrived at the gas station, they saw a person being prepared for transport in the ambulance with another person standing near them. The law enforcement officer asked the patient about the injury, and the patient told the member of law enforcement that he was impaled by a stick or other foreign object due to a 4-wheeler accident.

The member of law enforcement saw the injury and noticed that it appeared inconsistent with the patient’s explanation of the incident. The patient was later transported to a medical facility out of the area.

The law enforcement officer then spoke to the second person, who confirmed the information about the 4-wheeler accident, and the person took the law enforcement officers to the scene where the accident reportedly took place.

Law enforcement officers learned that both people went to a friends house on the James River Kanawha Turnpike the night before to help gather firewood and ride 4-wheelers. Once the officers arrived at the scene where the accident supposedly took place, they did not find evidence of an accident on the 4-wheeler or at the alleged accident site.

After the second person was interviewed and further investigation was done, members of law enforcement discovered that the patient was operating some type of explosive device that accidentally blew up.

The explosion site was found by law enforcement officers, and the evidence found at the site matched that of something exploding.

Once the information about an explosion became involved in the investigation, the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Team and members of the West Virginia State Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit responded to the explosion site to ensure that there would not be a threat to residents in the area.

Additional members of the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene and detoured traffic away from the James River Kanawha Turnpike until the law enforcement officers agreed that there was no remaining threat to people in the area.

The press release from the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office stated that the incident is still under investigation.

Stick with 59Newsd for updates as they become available.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.