Story by Chris Lawrence

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A wrongful death case over an accident from 2022 which claimed the life of a Kanawha County teenager has been settled.

A Putnam County Circuit Court approved the settlement of claims against Quality Woods, Inc. and Alleghany Wood Products for the crash on I-79 near Clendenin which claimed the life of Leah Strickland, 14.

Strickland was a freshman at Hebert Hoover High School and died in the accident as she and her father travelled home from a soccer match August 31, 2022. Leah was a promising player and had scored her first goal as a varsity player earlier that evening. On their way home they collided with a slow moving flatbed semi hauling lumber. Attorneys for Leah’s estate successfully argued the truck was overweight, poorly illuminated, with an improperly licensed driver, and travelling at a dangerously low rate of speed on the interstate.

“This horrible tragedy was completely preventable”” stated Mark Atkinson of Atkinson & Frampton, PLLC, who represented Ms. Strickland. “The law required the truck in question to have a total weight of just under 26,000 pounds. Unfortunately, it was much heavier.”

The truck’s weight was closer to 37,000 pounds. The driver was no properly licensed and the truck’s lighting system was inadequate. Because the truck was so overweight, when traveling uphill on Interstate 79 it would reach a low speed of 21 miles per hour. This accident occurred while the truck was going uphill, late at night, around a curve, poorly lit and going approximately 21 miles per hour on the interstate.

The Judge approved the settlement of claims against Quality Wood Products for $3 million and Allegheny Wood Products, which is now out of business, for $1.5 million. The truck was hauling lumber which belonged to Allegheny at the time.

“Finally, this gut-wrenching chapter of our lives is over,” stated Emily Strickland, mother of Leah Strickland in a released statement.

“We honor her, we remember her, and we will always lift her spirit up,” added Strickland. “We have created a Foundation and a scholarship in her name.”

The family hopes Leah’s Legacy will continue to grow as they hold a 5K Run, 2-mile Walk & Kids Fun Run every September. The 3rd Annual Leah’s Legacy event is scheduled for September 21, 2025, at Slack Plaza in Charleston, WV. Learn more about the event at www.LeahsLegacyWV.org