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

Police: Weather conditions played role in Jan. 29 wreck involving Upshur school bus

The scene of a January 29, 2024, wreck involving an Upshur County school bus. Photo courtesy the Upshur County Sheriff's Office.

BUCKHANNON – No passengers or drivers were injured in a two-vehicle wreck involving a school bus that occurred Monday afternoon on the Phillips Dairy Road.

According to the crash report filed by Upshur County Sheriff’s Deputy R.T. Lamb, the accident happened at 3:42 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, when a blue 2004 Subaru Outback being driven by 42-year-old Lea Tyson, of Buckhannon, was traveling west on the Phillips Dairy Road.

The Subaru Outback encountered a turn in the road at the same time an eastbound Upshur County Schools bus, driven by Joseph Rolenson, reached the same turn.

Tyson was reportedly traveling too fast for road conditions and “aggressively braked,” leaving a skid mark on the road before striking the school bus head-on, according to the report.

Upshur County Sheriff Mike Coffman said 23 students and a driver were on the school bus at the time, none of whom were injured. Tyson, the driver of the Subaru, was also not injured. While the Subaru had to be towed due to disabling damage, the bus sustained only minor damage and was driven from the scene.

The report says rain and wet road surfaces played a factor in the wreck, and deputies cited Tyson for driving too fast for the road conditions and no insurance.

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