BOONE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Boone County man is facing charges after a pedestrian was struck along West Virginia Route 85 near Van Thursday night.
According to the West Virginia State Police, Trooper First Class A.R. Workman responded to the scene around 8:22 p.m. on October 2, 2025, after receiving a report of a pedestrian hit along the northbound lane near Van Park.
When first responders arrived, they found the victim lying partially over an embankment roughly 50 yards north of the park. Members of the Wharton Fire Department said they discovered the victim after being notified of the incident and transported him to the Van High School football field, where he was flown to CAMC General Hospital in Charleston.
At the scene, investigators recovered a broken side mirror believed to be from the vehicle involved, along with small fragments of glass scattered along the roadway.
During the investigation, authorities identified the suspected driver as Calvin Luther Buckner of Gordon, West Virginia. Troopers later located Buckner and a gray 2003 Dodge Neon matching the description of the suspect vehicle at his home on Halona Lane.
Workman reported visible damage to the passenger side of the car, including a missing side mirror and a shattered windshield — damage consistent with the victim’s injuries. Buckner told troopers he remembered hitting something but believed it had been a bird crossing the roadway.
Hospital staff later informed investigators that the victim suffered a broken left leg, a fractured back, and a laceration to the back of the head, injuries requiring surgery.
The investigation remains ongoing, and charges are pending following review by the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office.
