BUCKHANNON — A two-vehicle wreck Friday morning closed Route 33 for an extended period of time near the Morton Avenue exit.
According to Lt. Doug Loudin with the Buckhannon Police Department, two trucks were traveling along Route 33 toward Elkins, just east of the Morton Avenue intersection, at 8:36 a.m. Friday.
One truck struck the other from behind, sparking the wreck.
Loudin said James Tomey, 73, of Buckhannon, was driving a 1993 International dump truck with a trailer when he was hit from behind by a 2006 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Douglas Decker, 48, of Elkins. The tractor trailer company was reported as Rainbow Trucking LLC out of Coalton.
The impact caused Tomey to strike a guardrail and bridge abutment, rolling on its side and losing a dozer it was hauling.
Tomey was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated and had been released as of Friday afternoon, according to Lisa Wharton, St. Joseph’s Hospital vice president for marketing, public relations and foundation.
Pending investigation, no citations were issued at the scene.
The West Virginia Public Service Commission, W.Va. State Police (Barbour County detachment) Upshur County EMS and the Department of Highways all responded as the wreck was cleaned up over a period of several hours.
“It was a mess,” Loudin said. “It took us from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to get it cleaned up.”
