Fatal crash profile · County
Traffic deaths in McDowell County, West Virginia
County in West Virginia · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 3
- Fatal crashes
- 2
- Population
- 17.2K
In 2024, 3 people died in 2 fatal crashes in McDowell County, West Virginia. That was 200.0% more than in 2023 (1) and the most since 2022. The death rate was 17.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 14.5 in West Virginia and 11.5 in the United States. McDowell County had the 25th most traffic deaths among West Virginia's counties. Between 2020 and 2024, 16 people died, an average of 3.2 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
17.5
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.2 times the rate in West Virginia: 14.5
- About 1.5 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
17.8
average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024
- About 1.2 times the average in West Virginia: 15.0
- About 1.5 times the average in the United States: 12.3
+200%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
1 death in 2023, 3 in 2024
- West Virginia: -2%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 26.4 |
| 2021 | 21.7 |
| 2022 | 16.9 |
| 2023 | 5.7 |
| 2024 | 17.5 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
0%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 5 percent of the share in West Virginia: 10%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 3 |
| Pedestrians | 0 |
| Motorcyclists | 0 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in McDowell County | Share in West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 0 | 0% | 10% |
| Motorcyclists | 0 | 0% | 15% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 2 | 67% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 0 | 0% | 30% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
0%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 5 percent of the share in West Virginia: 30%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 28%
50%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About 1.7 times the share in West Virginia: 30%
- About double the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | McDowell County | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 50.0% | 30.3% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 0.0% | 30.3% | 28.1% |
| At night | 50.0% | 42.9% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 0.0% | 35.7% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
50%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.2 times the share in West Virginia: 43%
- About the same as the share in the United States: 54%
0%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 5 percent of the share in West Virginia: 36%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 0 |
| 1am | 0 |
| 2am | 0 |
| 3am | 1 |
| 4am | 0 |
| 5am | 0 |
| 6am | 0 |
| 7am | 0 |
| 8am | 1 |
| 9am | 0 |
| 10am | 0 |
| 11am | 1 |
| 12pm | 1 |
| 1pm | 1 |
| 2pm | 0 |
| 3pm | 2 |
| 4pm | 1 |
| 5pm | 2 |
| 6pm | 2 |
| 7pm | 0 |
| 8pm | 0 |
| 9pm | 1 |
| 10pm | 1 |
| 11pm | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 1 |
| Mon | 3 |
| Tue | 1 |
| Wed | 3 |
| Thu | 3 |
| Fri | 3 |
| Sat | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 1 |
| Apr | 2 |
| May | 0 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 3 |
| Aug | 1 |
| Sep | 2 |
| Oct | 2 |
| Nov | 2 |
| Dec | 0 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 11 |
| Rain | 3 |
| Cloudy | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 10 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 3 |
| Dark - Lighted | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- SR-163
- US-523
- CR-17 CHEROKEE RD1
- CR- 52/141
- CR-11
- CR-141
- CR-14/1 CRUMPLER MTN RD1
- CR-41
- CR-6/21
- CR-83/201
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Other vehicles | 5 |
| Cars | 3 |
| Motorcycles | 3 |
| Pickup trucks | 3 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 2 |
| SUVs | 1 |
| Buses | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Ram 15002
- Chevrolet Camaro1
- Chevrolet Malibu1
- Ford F-3501
- Ford Ranger1
- Freightliner B2 Bus Chassis1
- Harley Davidson Electra Glide Standard1
- Honda TRX350FE (FourTrax Rancher)1
- Honda TRX420 (Rancher)1
- Jeep Renegade1
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2024 | Northfork | CR-17 CHEROKEE RD | 2 |
| Apr 29, 2024 | War | CR-83/20 | 1 |
| Oct 4, 2023 | Berwind | SR-16 | 1 |
| Nov 17, 2022 | Crumpler | CR-14 | 1 |
| Jul 20, 2022 | War | SR-16 | 1 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | Iaeger | CR-1 | 1 |
| Sep 9, 2021 | Davy | CR-4 | 1 |
| Aug 13, 2021 | — | CR-14/1 CRUMPLER MTN RD | 1 |
| Apr 19, 2021 | Northfork | CR-6/2 | 1 |
| Mar 10, 2021 | Maybeury | CR- 52/14 | 1 |
| Nov 26, 2020 | Bradshaw | SR-635 | 1 |
| Oct 2, 2020 | Premier | US-52 | 1 |
| Sep 8, 2020 | Welch | SR-16 | 1 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | Welch | US-52 | 1 |
| Jun 21, 2020 | Kimball | US-52 | 1 |
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.