A Tuesday afternoon accident on Interstate 79 required towing and resulted in damage to an out-of-state truck and a light pole.

 

“It was a single-vehicle accident between the 124 and 125 mile marker,” said Bridgeport Police Sgt. Scott Carpenter. “The individual lost control and ran off the roadway to the right and struck a light pole which caused the pole to fall down. The driver wasn’t harmed.”

 

That incident is one of several accidents which have occurred over the last week or so. Most were minor, Carpenter said.

 

“We’re just going through a spell right now,” he said. “Every once in a while there’s a three- to four-week spurt when we see a lot of accidents. They always come in batches.”

 

Owner of Riggs Towing, Dan Riggs said his company has responded to a couple dozen area wrecks since Friday, Aug. 21. Having officially been in the towing business for 17 years and being around it his whole life, Riggs said it’s not uncommon to see a large number of accidents this time of year.

 

“Sometimes we blame it on the full moon or the way the planets and stars are lined up, but really, it’s that there is a lot of hustle and bustle this time of year,” he said. “From July into most of August, there aren’t as many cars out but then right before school starts, people are trying to get everything in and get ready for school and there are just more people out and about. It’s a numbers thing. The more cars that are on the road, the more accidents happen. It has nothing to do with the weather. The last few days have been really nice.”

 

Riggs anticipates that there will continue to be a fair amount of vehicle accidents through the Labor Day weekend.

 

“Labor Day is the last big party of the summer and also football games are starting. Again, there are lot of people on the road,” he said.

 

Riggs said he has also responded to a large number of deer calls during the last few days.

 

“The deer are starting to run,” he said. “Usually that doesn’t happen until hunting season, but it’s already happening.”

 

Riggs said the onset of summer is typically another season for a large volume of accidents.

 

“When the weather breaks, motorcycles are getting on the road for the first time and so are trailers and boats,” Riggs said. “Trailers haven’t been used over the winter and sometimes aren’t in good working order. They lose wheels and tires pop. It’s a vicious cycle.”

 

Yesterday’s incident on I-79 was a prime example of how accidents happen this time of year.

 

“It’s one of the more straight sections of I-79. There are three lanes there,” he said. “But it was amazing standing there and listening to a number of cars hitting the rumble strip.”

 

The bottom line is be careful out there, be on the defense and take caution when driving.

 

“It’s kind of reverse of what most people think. So many accidents aren’t weather related,” Riggs said. “Of course, pretty soon we’ll be having icy mornings. And that’s another story.”