Amish Buggy Somehow Ends Up On Guardrail After Wreck. Driver Was “Following Too Closely”
The good news in this buggy accident is that everyone is okay (including the horse). But I’m not quite sure how the buggy ended up where it did. Especially with no injuries to the driver.
This story comes to us from Newport, New York (Herkimer County) and happened yesterday evening. There aren’t a lot of details, but this is from the report at WKTV on the crash, which happened on State Route 28 in Newport:
The New York State Police responded to the scene at approximately 5:02 p.m. A preliminary investigation revealed that a 2015 Nissan driven by 74-year-old Gloria J. Snyder of Newport was traveling northbound when it struck the rear of the Amish buggy, causing it to rest on a guardrail.
No injuries were reported, and the horse involved survived the crash. Snyder received a ticket for following too closely.
I suppose it could have “popped” up onto the guardrail, but I think the most likely explanation is that the buggy just went right up the guardrail – assuming it had a sloped end to it. I can’t say for 100% certain, but it looks like you can actually see the end sloping down in the foreground. And it appears we’re looking at the back side of the buggy.
Note the blue lantern lying on the ground on the left. That would indicate a plainer group which uses non-electric lighting, as would the apparent lack of an orange SMV triangle.
If that’s the case, fortunately this guardrail had a sloped end to it which would allow the buggy to ride up. If it hadn’t, this could have been a lot uglier.
The main takeaway here is a reminder to be careful about following too closely behind a buggy. Details in the report are scarce, but it may have simply been that this person struck the buggy and the citation that best fit the case or that the officer deemed reasonable was “following too closely”.
That’s because if you’re literally “following” a buggy, you’re going maybe eight or ten miles an hour max in most cases. It’s not like following a car too closely at 70 mph on the highway and then the car in front has to suddenly slam on the brakes.
Regardless, it’s a good reminder of the drastic difference between car and buggy speeds, and to be vigilant when traveling in hilly and curvy areas, and after dark.
I can say with confidence that this buggy was not as well-lit as some of them can be. So that’s another thing drivers need to keep in mind – especially in areas with Swartzentruber Amish, and other of the plainer groups.
Herkimer County is home to two Amish settlements, one fully in the county and one shared with a neighboring county. It’s one of over two dozen New York counties with an Amish presence.
Comment
What are the odds? That is just farukt (Crazy)!