This image shared on Facebook by the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency shows the aftermath of an accident that occurred within the Interstate 70 westbound rest area at mile marker 210 near Morristown on Friday evening. Two people were transported to the hospital as a result. Photo Provided

MORRISTOWN — Repairs are underway following a semi-truck wreck at the westbound rest area along Interstate 70 in Belmont County occurred on New Year’s Eve.

Lt. Maurice Waddell of the Ohio State Highway Patrol St. Clairsville Post said the accident occurred close to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31.

“A westbound tractor-trailer entered the westbound area, traveled off the right side of the roadway, drove off into the grass median, struck another commercial, struck a tree, cable box and some light poles,” Waddell said.

Images shared on social media by the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency show a white tractor that had been pulling a trailer labeled with the Forward company logo. Major damage to the cab, the fuel tank, cargo area and undercarriage of the truck is apparent in the photos.

Also visible are barriers and absorbent material used to contain and clean up hazardous materials.

EMA Director David Ivan said the only spillage was some diesel fuel leaking from the tank.

“We’re estimating maybe 200 gallons or so,” Ivan said. “We were unable to speak to the driver about how much fuel he had.”

The Belmont County EMA, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office and Cumberland Trail Fire District arrived on scene with the highway patrol troopers.

Waddell added the report lists “unsafe speed” as a contributing circumstance. There was no indication of drug use, Waddell said.

The driver, Mohamed Dahir, 53, of Hawthorne, California, will be charged with misdemeanor failure to control.

The Cumberland Trail Fire District took Dahir and his male passenger to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. They were then transferred to the J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, also part of the West Virginia University Medicine network.

“As far as I know, it’s nothing life-threatening,” Waddell said of their injuries.

Waddell added that the post has not seen an increase in accidents recently, but he urged caution during periods of snowfall.

“There’s no significant spike in crashes,” he said.

ODOT spokeswoman Lauren Borell said the damage done to the rest area is being repaired.

“We have a traffic monitoring camera there to monitor the rest area, and that was damaged in the crash,” she said. “That was the most significant damage, to the concrete that held the pole and everything, but that was the most substantial damage that occurred from the crash. … We will have to order a new camera to be replaced. We just had to clean it up, and hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll be able to replace that camera.”

In terms of road safety, Borell said ODOT was ready for the first snowstorm of the year Thursday.

“We’re expecting some snow, so our crews are preparing for that,” she said. “We’re fully stocked on salt, and our crews have been preparing their trucks. With loading them. We’ll be out pre-treating the roadways ahead of the storm, and we’ll be fully staffed 24/7 around the clock until the event is over.”

Ivan said the National Weather Service estimated an inch to an inch-and-a-half of snow would fall across the local area on Thursday evening.