On April 11, 2019 at approximately 3:20 p.m., a transformer fire caused a number of power outages affecting the Suncrest area as well as the traffic lights from Willowdale Road to the WVU Coliseum intersection at Monongahela Boulevard along the WV 705 corridor. The Morgantown Police Department, WVU Police Department, Morgantown Fire Department and Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department directed traffic at the busiest intersections during the outage. The Star City Fire Department responded to the fire and MonPower worked to restore power.
During this period of high congestion, officers of the Morgantown Police Department also responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision near the intersection of Burroughs Street and VanVoorhis Road. The driver of the vehicle was traveling west on Burroughs Street. While traffic was at a standstill in the eastbound lane a pedestrian darted between two of the eastbound cars in front of the vehicle traveling west. The pedestrian was stuck and received minor injuries but did require medical treatment. The pedestrian, a 21-year-old male, was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital for treatment. The pedestrian was cited for failure to use a crosswalk.
Although there were numerous traffic issues, this was the only reported accident within the city limits of Morgantown during this power outage.