The Charleston Gazette
BIRCH RIVER, W.Va. — The chief of the Birch River Volunteer Fire Department in Nicholas County was killed in an ATV accident about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a statement from the department.
Robert Cottrill, 46, was riding an ATV when he was struck by a vehicle, according to the department. He had been a member of the department since 1981.
Cottrill was traveling west on Widen-Dille Road in Birch River when he was struck by a 2000 Dodge Durango stolen from Braxton County, according to the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department.
Both the driver and passenger of the vehicle initially fled the scene, according to police.
The driver, Jerry Shannon from Mill Creek Road in Birch River, turned himself in to police in Braxton County on Thursday, said Nicholas County Sheriff Wetzel Bennett. He is charged in Braxton County with leaving the scene of an accident causing death, Bennett said.
The passenger, Christopher Watson Summer from Stoney Creek in Braxton County, has been charged with robbery of the vehicle and maliciously wounding the owner, Bennett said.
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