Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
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YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · WEST VIRGINIA · 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis
233 CRASHES IN
WEST VIRGINIA
2023
In 2023, there were 233 fatal crashes, a 6.8% decrease from the 250 fatal crashes recorded in 2022. Total fatalities decreased by 2.26% from 266 to 260, while total injuries increased significantly by 44.23% from 156 to 225. The most notable year-over-year shift is the substantial increase in reported injuries despite a reduction in fatal crashes and overall fatalities.
233
▼ -6.8%was 250
Total Crash Events
260
▼ -2.3%was 266
Persons Killed
225
▲ 44.2%was 156
Persons Injured
5
▼ -37.5%was 8
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (260) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (233) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in 2023 decreased by 6.8% compared to 2022, from 250 to 233 fatal crashes. Total fatalities also saw a decrease of 2.26%, falling from 266 in 2022 to 260 in 2023. Conversely, the number of persons injured in fatal crashes rose considerably by 44.23%, from 156 in 2022 to 225 in 2023.
5
Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023
▼ -37.5% vs prior (8)
Fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 8 in 2022 to 5 in 2023. Consequently, the hit-and-run rate for fatal crashes also declined from 3.2% in 2022 to 2.1% in 2023.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
15
Pedestrians Killed
4
Cyclists Killed
241
Motorists Killed
2
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
223
Motorists Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Friday with 45 fatal crashes in 2022 to Thursday with 42 fatal crashes in 2023. The peak hour for fatal crashes also changed, moving from 7 p.m. with 23 fatal crashes in 2022 to 4 p.m. with 21 fatal crashes in 2023. While the overall number of fatal crashes decreased, monthly patterns show some shifts, with June and July having the highest counts in 2022 (27 each), whereas September had the highest in 2023 (26).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Clear weather remained the dominant condition for fatal crashes, accounting for 166 fatal crashes in 2023, a decrease from 192 in 2022. Fatal crashes during rainy conditions increased from 14 in 2022 to 30 in 2023, while cloudy conditions saw a slight decrease from 35 to 29 fatal crashes. Daylight remained the most common lighting condition, though fatal crashes during daylight decreased from 146 in 2022 to 139 in 2023.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Ford and Chevrolet remained the top vehicle makes involved in fatal crashes, with Ford decreasing from 60 to 56 and Chevrolet from 53 to 49. Toyota saw a minor increase from 30 vehicles in 2022 to 31 in 2023. There were no explicit vehicle demographics provided in the data beyond make.
Top Vehicle Makes (367 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
7 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (571 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes occurring in 55 mph speed zones decreased from 86 in 2022 to 79 in 2023, remaining the most frequent speed limit category. Fatal crashes in 35 mph zones decreased from 33 to 26, while those in 45 mph zones slightly increased from 32 to 33. Fatal crashes at the highest speed limit of 70 mph decreased from 25 in 2022 to 18 in 2023.
Fatal crashes by zone: 15 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 25 mph: 8 of 8 (100%) · 30 mph: 14 of 14 (100%) · 35 mph: 26 of 26 (100%) · 40 mph: 24 of 24 (100%) · 45 mph: 33 of 33 (100%) · 50 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 55 mph: 79 of 79 (100%) · 60 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 65 mph: 16 of 16 (100%) · 70 mph: 18 of 18 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision for fatal crashes continued to be 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' though its count decreased from 163 in 2022 to 133 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving 'Front-to-Front' collisions increased from 40 to 47, and 'Angle' collisions increased from 31 to 38. 'Front-to-Rear' collisions decreased from 10 to 4 fatal crashes.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The most common vehicle body types involved in fatal crashes in 2023 were 4-door sedans (77) and compact utility vehicles (75), both showing increases from 58 and 56 respectively in 2022. Light pickups, which were the most common in 2022 with 73 fatal crashes, decreased to 62 in 2023. Two-wheel motorcycles saw a slight decrease from 36 to 34 fatal crashes, while truck-tractors increased from 21 to 27 fatal crashes.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 23 reported. 14 additional (41 total) not shown: 2-door sedan,hardtop,coupe, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Off-road Motorcycle, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Three-wheel Motorcycle (2 Rear Wheels), Farm equipment other than trucks, 3-door/2-door hatchback, Unknown body type, Unknown medium/heavy truck type, Utility station wagon (includes suburban limousines, Suburban, Travellall, Grand Wagoneer).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Rural trafficways continued to account for a larger share of fatal crashes, with 148 in 2023 compared to 166 in 2022. Urban fatal crashes remained stable, with 85 in 2023 compared to 84 in 2022. This indicates a continued disproportionate share of fatal crashes occurring on rural roads.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Fatal crashes on 'Other Principal Arterial' roads increased from 50 in 2022 to 67 in 2023, making it the most frequent functional class. Conversely, fatal crashes on 'Major Collector' roads decreased from 65 to 50, and on 'Minor Arterial' roads from 65 to 56. Interstate fatal crashes also decreased from 32 in 2022 to 23 in 2023.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the dominant person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 357 in 2022 to 366 in 2023. Passengers also saw an increase from 173 to 184. Pedestrian fatal crashes decreased from 21 to 17, while bicyclist fatal crashes increased from 2 to 4.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
While total fatalities decreased from 266 in 2022 to 260 in 2023, there was a notable increase in reported injuries. Serious injuries (A) rose from 38 to 51, minor injuries (B) from 44 to 75, and possible injuries (C) from 69 to 97. The number of persons with no injury (O) decreased from 133 to 88.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The use of shoulder and lap belts by participants in fatal crashes increased from 233 in 2022 to 270 in 2023. Conversely, the number of persons reported with no safety equipment used decreased slightly from 188 to 179. A substantial number of safety equipment uses remained unknown in both periods.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' (front) remained the most frequent point of impact in fatal crashes, increasing slightly from 204 in 2022 to 209 in 2023. 'Non-Collision' incidents decreased from 23 to 20. The '1 Clock Point' also increased from 15 to 19 fatal crashes.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 11 smaller categories (54 records): 3 Clock Point (8), Right-Front Side (7), 6 Clock Point (7), 2 Clock Point (6), 4 Clock Point (6), Left (5), 7 Clock Point (5), Right (4), Right-Back Side (3), Reported as Unknown (2), 8 Clock Point (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased significantly from 152 in 2022 to 120 in 2023. In contrast, fatal crashes involving two vehicles increased from 80 to 92. Fatal crashes with three vehicles also saw an increase, from 12 in 2022 to 16 in 2023.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
- Geographic scope: West Virginia
- Total crash records analyzed: 233
- Total persons involved: 573
- Total vehicles involved: 367
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "West Virginia Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/west-virginia/fatal/statewide/2023-annual-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-01-01 – 2023-12-31
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
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