Driver accused of hitting pedestrian arrested

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A man accused of driving away from the scene of an accident that left a pedestrian severely injured has been arrested, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

William Shrader, 54, of Scott Depot is facing failure to render aid and driving on a suspended license.

According to the sheriff’s office, the pedestrian was hit by Shrader in the early morning hours of May 25 along Joyce Road near the Nottingham Mobile home park.

Hours later, the 23-year-old pedestrian was located in a ditch by his roommate.

The roommate, Kenny Ford, told WSAZ after the incident that his friend had left their home to walk to a convenience store.

Ford said he did not have to walk far from their shared home at Nottingham Mobile Home Park when he made the startling discovery after 4 a.m. Thursday.

‘I see his hat laying [in the road], then I heard him screaming about 70 feet away in a ditch,” he said.

Putnam County Sheriff Bobby Eggleton said deputies found a truck believed to be involved near the scene.

“This very well could have been an accident, which can’t leave the scene and you have to render aid and nobody did that,” he said. “This poor fella he was sitting in the ditch for two hours, probably, so it’s a it’s a miracle that he’s still alive.”

The victim’s family said he is recovering but is now paralyzed from the waist down. In a statement to WSAZ, the family said in part, “His life will never be the same because of someone’s careless actions.

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