Juveniles injured in Ohio 331 wreck

By MICHAEL SCHULER, Times Leader Staff Writer
A PAIR of juveniles from Marietta were seriously injured Tuesday afternoon after they drove past a stop sign on Ohio 331 and were broadsided by a large Ford utility truck.

According to Ohio State High Patrol Trooper Ross Thompson, the incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. The two juveniles were on their way to 250 Auto Wrecking when the incident occurred.

The 17-year-old driver of the 1999 Dodge pickup was on Gas Station Shippey Road, and attempted to cross Ohio 331 to get to Belmont County Road 66 when he allegedly ran a stop sign at the intersection of Ohio 331 and Gas Station-Shippey Road in Uniontown.

The truck was then “T-boned,” by the utility truck, owned by Oxford Mining and driven by Richard Taylor, 61, of St. Clairsville who was traveling east on Ohio 331.

The 17-year-old driver, along with his 16-year-old passenger, had to be mechanically extricated from the pickup truck. A Stat-MedEvac medical helicopter transported the 17-year-old, who was trapped in the vehicle for 45 minutes, while the Flushing Emergency Medical Squad transported the 16-year-old.

Both were taken to Wheeling Medical Park and were reported to be in serious but stable condition, Thompson said.

Neither juvenile was reported to have been wearing a seat belt and the 17-year-old driver has been cited for failure to yield. Taylor was not injured and was not at fault, Thompson said.

Along with Flushing Fire Department and the OSHP, others responding included fire and EMS units from Bethesda, Belmont and Lafferty, and the Belmont County Sheriff's Office.

Schuler can be reached at shoe@timesleaderonline.com.