HILLTOP, W.Va. — A Fayette County man is in jail following a pursuit and multiple motor vehicle collisions early Monday evening.
Sheriff Mike Fridley said Fayette County 911 Center received notification of a four-vehicle accident on W.Va. 16 near the intersection of U.S. 19 at Hilltop at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday.
The driver of the suspect vehicle was identified as Bryan Allen, age 28, of Mount Hope. He was treated for minor injuries at Plateau Medical Center and was then released.
While Deputies were responding to this initial crash scene, information was received that one of the vehicles involved in this collision had fled the scene, traveling South towards Glen Jean on W.Va. 16.
An officer with the Mount Hope Police Department located this vehicle at the Exxon station in Glen Jean. When Deputy A.B. Hudson arrived at the Glen Jean Exxon to investigate the role of this vehicle in the collision at Hilltop, Allen fled from the Glen Jean Exxon, traveling North on U.S. 19 towards Oak Hill.
Deputy Hudson then activated his emergency lights and siren and initiated a pursuit of this vehicle. Officers from the West Virginia State Police and the Oak Hill Police Department responded and assisted with this pursuit. This pursuit ended at the Appalachian Drive intersection of U.S. Route 19 in Fayetteville when Allen lost control and collided with another vehicle.
The Oak Hill and Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Departments responded to this crash scene, where they used extrication equipment to rescue Allen, who was entrapped driver from the vehicle struck by the fleeing suspect. This individual was transported to Plateau Medical Center in Oak Hill where he was reported to be in “stable” condition.
Allen is charged with multiple offenses including DUI Causing Bodily Injury, Fleeing While DUI, Fleeing Causing Bodily Injury, Fleeing Causing Property Damage, Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Failure to Maintain Control. Following his release from the hospital he was transported to the Southern Regional Jail pending his arraignment in the Fayette County Magistrate Court later this morning.
“There is no excuse for this type of reckless and dangerous behavior,” Sheriff Fridley said. “Allen clearly knew that he had been drinking and that his driver’s license was revoked at the time he was involved in the initial motor vehicle collision at Hilltop. He certainly knew that he was in trouble and would be arrested, but instead of facing these initial potential charges he chose to flee from the scene, causing another serious collision and needlessly endangering the lives of innocent motorists on U.S. Route 19 and the lives of the police officers attempting to stop him.”
This incident remains under investigation by Deputy A.B. Hudson and the CRASH Unit of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.