A two-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon in the 5300 block of South U.S. Route 68 sent one person to the hospital.
Hollie Hubbard, 45, marketing director at the Bellefontaine Examiner, sustained minor injuries and was transported by Macochee Joint Ambulance District to Mary Rutan Hospital, where she was treated and released.
Mrs. Hubbard was northbound on U.S. 68 stopped about 3:35 p.m. for a southbound West Liberty-Salem Schools bus, which was stopped to let students off the bus.
Her 2021 Jeep Wrangler was then struck from the rear by a northbound pickup truck operated by Naaman Stidham, 16, of West Liberty.
The driver of a car stopped behind Mrs. Hubbard saw the approaching Stidham pickup, took evasive action and drove into a yard off the right side of the road to avoid being struck by the vehicle.
Nether Stidham nor any of the occupants/students getting off of the nearby bus were injured.
Troopers of the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway are investigating the crash.
Citations are pending for Stidham.
Troopers were assisted by the West Liberty Fire Department, Macochee Joint Ambulance District and Shafer’s Garage & Towing.
In addition to the first responders at the scene, the Examiner and Hubbard family would like to thank the following:
West Liberty resident Eric Bailey, a nurse practitioner at OSU Wexner Medical Center, who assisted Mrs. Hubbard after witnessing the crash from his nearby home; Brandy, a mother picking up her children at the bus stop who contacted Mrs. Hubbard’s family members; an EMT from Oklahoma — a passerby who put a C-collar on Mrs. Hubbard, Andy and Naaman Stidham who drove Examiner Publisher T.J. Hubbard’s vehicle to the hospital after he traveled with wife, Hollie, in the squad; they also checked on her at the hospital; and all of the staff at Mary Rutan Hospital who provided exceptional care.
Mrs. Hubbard, who will miss a couple days of work, is recovering in her Bellefontaine home.
Asked frequently by friends and family members how she is feeling, she says with a pained smile, “Like I got hit by a truck.”