Helen, WV truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Helen: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Helen and Raleigh County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Raleigh County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
11 of 869 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Raleigh County compares with West Virginia
Raleigh County against West Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Raleigh County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Raleigh County | West Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 102.6 | 57.6 | 49.7 | 1.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.45 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 1.1% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 8.6% | 8.1% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.0% | 20.9% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.3% | 24.8% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.5% | 41.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 27.4% | 26.6% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with West Virginia, Raleigh County is lower on morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr.
What stands out in Raleigh County: August worst month: 12.4% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 869 crashes involving commercial trucks in Raleigh County since 2015: 411 people were injured and 33 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 5 days.
Helen had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Raleigh County numbers.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 12.4% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (6.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.5% of truck crashes, against 41.7% across West Virginia.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 8.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 8.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (West Virginia: 8.1%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Helen happened on I-77 (2), SR-16 (1) and SR-3 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 11 of the truck crashes here, or 1.3%, compared with 1.1% in West Virginia.
Route planning tips for Helen fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Raleigh County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-77 | 2 |
| SR-16 | 1 |
| SR-3 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Raleigh County) |
|---|---|
| I-77 Mp 48 | 31 |
| I-77 | 26 |
| I-77 Mp 30 | 24 |
| I-77 Mp 42 | 23 |
| I-77 Mp 44 | 20 |
| I-77 Mp 45 | 19 |
| I-64 | 19 |
| I-77 Mp 40 | 15 |
Helen at a glance
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Raleigh 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 | 13 | — | 2.3 |
| 2000s | 49 | +284% | 2.3 |
| 2010s | 58 | +18% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 86 | +48% | 2.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 13 to 86. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 2.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Helen
How common are truck crashes in Helen?
869 truck crashes have been reported in Raleigh County since 2015, with 33 deaths and 411 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Helen?
The worst month is August: 12.4% of truck crashes in Raleigh County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Helen?
Garbage trucks were involved in 11 reported crashes in Raleigh County since 2015 (1.3% of truck crashes).
How does Helen compare with West Virginia for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 102.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Raleigh County, vs 57.6 for West Virginia.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Helen?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.