Driver Dies After 100-MPH Vehicle Crashes Through West Virginia Building's Roof, Catches Fire

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (AP) -- A 61-year-old Harrison County woman died early Friday when the van she was driving crashed through the roof of a storage building near a Bridgeport filtration plant and caught fire.

The vehicle was traveling along U.S. Route 50 at a speed of about 100 mph when it left the road, went through a parking lot near City Hall and traveled through the air about 85 feet before crashing into the storage building below the lot, said Bridgeport Police Detective Randy Hartley.

Police did not release the victim's name because they had not contacted all her family.

The cause of the 1:30 a.m. crash was under investigation.

Hartley said police are looking into the possibility of mechanical problems with the van.

An officer working a DUI checkpoint heard the horn blowing when the van drove past, while other motorists saw the van's lights flashing and also heard the horn.

Hartley said officers tried to save the woman, but the fire was too intense. The building, which contained city welding supplies, was heavily damaged.