All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

One person lifeflighted after wreck at Childers Run and Route 33 intersection

A tow truck operator prepares to remove the vehicles from the hillside off the Route 33 westbound.
A tow truck operator prepares to remove the vehicles following Thursday's wreck.

BUCKHANNON – Two people were injured in a wreck at the intersection of Route 33 and Childers Run Crossing on Thursday morning. The wreck sent both vehicles off the road and down the hill on the westbound side of the highway.

According to the crash report filed by the Buckhannon Police Department, the two-vehicle collision occurred Jan. 27 at 9:12 a.m. A white 2018 K2500 Chevrolet pickup driven by Terry McFarlan, 61, of Harman was traveling west on Route 33 and was approaching the Childers Run Crossing intersection. A gray 2021 Ford Fusion driven by John Claypoole, 69, of Buckhannon was traveling north, crossing over Route 33 to Childers Run Road.

According to the report, Claypoole pulled out in front of McFarlan and struck the front his vehicle. Claypoole was found at fault for failing to yield the right of way.

McFarlan was transported by Upshur EMS to St. Joseph’s Hospital with a possible injury and Claypoole was transported by HealthNet to WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital. Their conditions were not immediately available Friday afternoon.

The Childers Run and Kesling Mill intersections on Route 33 have been the site of numerous serious wrecks. After several fatalities, the West Virginia Department of Highways announced last spring that it plans to install stoplights at both intersections. According to a previous My Buckhannon story, construction on the traffic signals could begin this spring.

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