Gary, WV truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Gary: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Gary and McDowell County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use McDowell County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 72 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How McDowell County compares with West Virginia
McDowell County against West Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where McDowell County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | McDowell County | West Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 36.1 | 57.6 | 49.7 | 37% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.4× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.1% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.9% | 8.1% | 6.2% | 63% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.1% | 20.9% | 23.7% | 9% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.1% | 24.8% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.6% | 41.7% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 17.6% | 26.6% | 24.8% | 34% below the state |
McDowell County has lower values than West Virginia for crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes and winter months (nov–mar).
McDowell County at a glance: 0 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.0%, against 1.1% for West Virginia.
Overview
Since 2015, 72 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in McDowell County. They injured 31 people and killed 4.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 59 days.
Only 6 truck crashes were reported in Gary since 2015; patterns below come from McDowell County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 11.1% of the yearly total, while August has the fewest (2.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 45.6% of truck crashes, vs 41.7% for West Virginia.
The busiest hour is 4–5 pm, with 12.5% of truck crashes.
2.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 8.1% across West Virginia.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Gary since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-16 (1) and US-52 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in McDowell County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Gary fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in McDowell County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-16 | 1 |
| US-52 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (McDowell County) |
|---|---|
| SR-52 | 8 |
| SR-16 | 5 |
| Us Rt 052 | 4 |
| Wv Rt 16 | 3 |
| County Rt 13/00 | 2 |
| SR-103 | 2 |
| SR-161 | 2 |
| SR-80 | 2 |
Gary at a glance
| Population | 687 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 817 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24836) | $36,250 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in McDowell County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 13 | +2480% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 8 | -36% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 6 | -28% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 13 a year in the 2000s and 6 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Gary
How common are truck crashes in Gary?
McDowell County has had 72 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 31 people and killing 4.
When do most truck crashes happen in Gary?
January has the most truck crashes in McDowell County, 11.1% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Gary?
Since 2015, McDowell County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Gary compare with West Virginia?
The yearly rate is 36.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in McDowell County, vs 57.6 for West Virginia.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Gary?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.