CHARLESTON — A West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) road worker is recovering after being struck by a truck on WV 62 in Mason County on Saturday, Jan. 18.

“It’s upsetting that anyone gets hurt in the highway system at all, let alone one of our transportation workers,” said Transportation Secretary Stephen Todd Rumbaugh, P.E. “Safety is going to be a priority with this administration.”

The injured worker and another WVDOH crew member were in the process of making emergency repairs to a pothole on WV 62 a little before 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2025, when they were approached by a truck that did not appear to slow down. The workers were wearing reflective clothing and the lights on their truck were flashing.

Both workers attempted to run out of the way of the oncoming truck, but the vehicle hit one of the workers, fracturing his femur, breaking his arm and separating his shoulder. The worker was taken to Pleasant Valley Hospital in Point Pleasant before being transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington for treatment.

The injured worker had surgery to repair his femur and will require additional surgery to repair his broken arm and shoulder. He is recovering in the intensive care unit at St. Mary’s. 

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The West Virginia Parkways Authority and E-ZPass Group is issuing an alert to all E-ZPass customers about a text messaging scam targeted at customers of tolling agencies across the United States. The scam aims to deceive customers into entering their personal data and financial information to a fake website.

Customers receiving text messages claiming to be sent by “E-ZPass Toll Services” that directs them to click a link to pay an outstanding toll balance to avoid a late fee should be aware that this message is fraudulent. The toll account information provided in these texts is neither valid nor accurate.

The West Virginia Parkways Authority warns customers to delete the texts immediately and do not click on any links embedded in the text messages.

Customers who have clicked the link and completed the form should immediately contact their financial institution and notify the West Virginia Parkways Authority of any erroneous information posted to their accounts.

Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a public service announcement warning the public about a wave of fraudulent SMS texts attempting to scam toll road users. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received over 2,000 complaints reporting fraudulent texts representing road toll collection service from multiple states. The complaint information indicates that the scam appears to be moving from state to state. The texts claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language.

The “outstanding toll amount” has been similar among the complaints reported to the IC3. However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states. E-ZPass advises customers that if you receive one of these texts, file a complaint with the IC3, www.ic3.gov.

“The West Virginia Parkways Authority has been made aware of the rise of text messaging scams targeting individuals and we urge anyone who has received this message to delete it, do not click on the link or provide any financial information as this is an attempt to obtain your credit or debit card information,” Jeff Miller, Executive Director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority states.

“The West Virginia Parkways Authority does not and will not contact customers via text messaging for any reason, please disregard this scam message and contour customer service center should you need assistance on your E-ZPass account.” 

Driven by its core mission to operate and maintain the West Virginia Turnpike safely and efficiently, the West Virginia Parkways Authority manages the construction, development, and maintenance of the 88 miles of interstate roads that constitute the West Virginia Turnpike. 

For more information, including West Virginia E-ZPass offer details, visit the Parkways Authority website.