An 11-year-old child was flown to a West Virginia hospital Sunday evening after a pickup truck struck the child and a woman who were crossing State Route 93 in Wellston, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, as reported by the Scioto Post.
The crash happened at approximately 7:00 p.m. near milepost 26 within the city of Wellston in Jackson County, troopers said. A northbound 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty struck the two pedestrians as they crossed the roadway, according to the Highway Patrol’s account reported by the Scioto Post.
The pedestrians were identified as 36-year-old Haley Coon and an 11-year-old juvenile, both of Wellston, troopers said. The child sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken from the scene by Jackson County EMS before being flown by MedFlight to Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia. Coon declined medical treatment at the scene, according to the Scioto Post’s reporting of the troopers’ account.
The truck was driven by 69-year-old Carl Nichols of Wellston, with 50-year-old Shawn Jones, also of Wellston, as a passenger, troopers said. Neither Nichols nor Jones reported any injuries.
The Jackson Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is leading the investigation, with on-scene assistance from the Wellston Police Department and Jackson County EMS, according to the Scioto Post. Troopers have not announced any charges or citations in connection with the crash, and no cause has been released.
The crash happened on the first evening after the end of daylight saving time, when darkness falls an hour earlier on roadways across Ohio — a seasonal shift safety officials regularly flag as a risk period for pedestrians. State Route 93 is Wellston’s main north-south route through the city.
The response drew on resources from across the county and beyond it: Jackson County EMS treated and transported the child from the scene, MedFlight flew the child to Huntington, and Wellston’s own police department assisted troopers at the scene, according to the Scioto Post. The juvenile’s name was not released. Cabell Huntington Hospital is the closest major trauma center for much of Jackson County, and air transport is routinely used for pediatric patients from the area when minutes matter.
What happens next: the Highway Patrol’s investigation continues. Anyone with additional information about the crash is encouraged to contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Jackson Post, according to the Scioto Post.