Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Bailey was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while directing traffic at a construction zone on the Fort Henry Bridge on I-70. He had signaled a lane of traffic to stop. The first car in the line stopped but a tractor trailer traveling behind it could not stop in time. The driver swerved into the construction zone and struck Patrolman Bailey. He was transported to Ohio Valley General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries later that evening. The driver of the truck was charged with negligent homicide. Patrolman Bailey had served with the Wheeling Police Department for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WV-04D68F59- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Bailey gave the Wheeling Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wheeling community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Bailey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman James Reiter Bailey is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WV, 54 of 232 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.3% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Wheeling Police Department, 4 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 44.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Reiter Bailey's cause is highlighted.
How James Reiter Bailey Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Reiter Bailey is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Wheeling Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
