Trucker ordered to pay $271K for DUI crash on West Virginia Turnpike that polluted creek

A truck driver was ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 2022 crash on the West Virginia Turnpike that spilled hazardous chemicals into a nearby creek.

On  April 29, 2026, Dennis Eugene West, 58, was ordered to pay $266,444,86 in restitution in addition to a previous $5,000 fine. West was also previously sentenced to three years of federal probation.

In October 2025, West pleaded guilty as an individual and on behalf of his trucking business, Gadsden, Gaillard and West LLC, to a charge of negligent discharge of pollutants into United States waters.

The crash occurred on August 24, 2022, in Fayette County, West Virginia.

West was driving a commercial vehicle loaded with totes containing alkyl dimethylamine in the northbound lane of the West Virginia Turnpike/Interstate 64-77 when he crashed on the  Skitter Creek Bridge.

Several of the totes broke open during the crash, spilling onto the bridge and making their way into Paint Creek.

“The discharge of the pollutants into Paint Creek, a tributary of the Kanawha River, continued until August 25, 2025, and caused adverse impacts on the aquatic life of the creek including the killing of several species of fish. The crash also shut down that entire section of the West Virginia Turnpike for more than 12 hours,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia said.

West admitted to operating under the influence of alcohol as part of his guilty plea.

Officials said that West’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was measured at more than 0.08 percent after the crash.

Also as part of the guilty plea, West admitted that he did not have a permit issued pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act to discharge pollutants, including alkyl dimethylamine, into Paint Creek or any other water in West Virginia.

An insurance company covering West previously paid out over $900,000 toward environmental containment, site cleanup, personal injury expenses, property damages, and other related costs.

“The defendant chose to transport a hazardous chemical while intoxicated, and that reckless decision didn’t just break the law — it put lives at risk and scarred this community’s environment,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito. “What followed, however, was a remarkable show of professionalism and resolve. I want to recognize the investigators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia State Police, whose work ensured accountability in this case. Equally important are the first responders — men and women who ran toward danger, not away from it — who secured the scene, protected the public, and worked tirelessly, hour after hour, to contain the damage and begin restoring what was harmed. Their swift, coordinated response turned what could have been far worse into a situation this community can recover from. Their commitment deserves not just our thanks, but our respect.”