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TENNERTON – Two people suffered non-incapacitating injuries in a two-vehicle collision Wednesday morning in front of Freedom Bank along Route 20 South, slowing traffic in both north and southbound lanes.
The accident happened at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11 when Patricia Pearl Smith, 80, who was driving a red Ford Fiesta, attempted to pull out of Freedom Bank’s parking lot to head north on Route 20 toward Buckhannon, according to investigating officer Chief Deputy Mike Coffman with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
Coffman said 61-year-old Urija Kniest was driving a white Ford F-250 truck southbound on Route 20 when Smith pulled out in front of him.
“She pulled out in front of him, hit him in the front of his back tire, and spun him around,” Coffman said Wednesday. “She said she had looked both ways and never even saw him. He tried to swerve, but the impact spun him around.”
Kniest was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital by Upshur EMS, while Smith was taken by a family member. Both drivers were conscious and alert, Coffman said. In addition to the sheriff’s department, the Buckhannon Fire Department assisted in directing traffic. Smith was found at fault because she did not have the right-of-way, but no charges were filed.
