COVINGTON, Va. (AP) _ Virginia State Police are investigating a weekend traffic accident involving a state trooper in Alleghany County. State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says a cruiser driven by Trooper J.E. Philpott was unable to avoid striking a car that had pulled in front of him on U.S. Route 220 on Sunday night. Geller says the driver of the car, 80-year-old Matthew T. Barnette Sr. of Clifton Forge, was charged with failure to yield to oncoming traffic. Both Philpott and Barnette were taken to LewisGale Hospital Alleghany for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
