The victim in a Wednesday night crash at a Huntington gas station has been identified. According to State Police, the driver was 24-year-old Dustin Jacob Vega of Huntington.
Sergeant Stuart Swope explained that security footage captured Vega driving south on State Route 152 when his vehicle veered off the right side of the road and collided with a gas pump at a Speedway station. Following the impact, Vega’s truck ended up over a creek bank, leaving him trapped inside and necessitating a difficult extrication.
Although first responders found Vega still alive at the scene, he had sustained severe injuries. He was transported to St. Mary’s hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries within an hour. Authorities have stated that they are still investigating the reason behind Vega’s departure from the roadway, but initial reports indicate that neither drugs nor alcohol were involved, and that Vega was the sole occupant of the truck.
In the aftermath of the crash, the force of the impact caused one of the gas pumps to catch fire. Firefighters responded promptly and were able to extinguish the flames before they could reach the gas station building, and it was noted that Vega’s truck did not catch fire.
As of Thursday, customers are allowed to enter the store and make purchases, although the other gas pumps remain out of service.