Amish Man Killed When Buggy Turns Into Logging Truck’s Path
A young Amish man has lost his life in a tragic accident that apparently was caused when he turned his buggy into the path of a logging truck. This happened yesterday in Allegany County, New York. From New York Upstate:
Willing, N.Y. — A man was killed after a logging truck hit an Amish buggy this week in Upstate New York.
The deadly crash happened around 1:35 p.m. Tuesday in Willing, a rural town in the Southern Tier about 3 miles north of the Pennsylvania border.
Atlee Miller, of Willing, was traveling on County Route 29/Stone Dam Road when he turned his horse-drawn buggy into the path of a “fully loaded” International logging truck, the New York State Police said in a news release.
Atlee Miller was 24 years old. The horse was somehow unharmed. A report at the Wellsville Sun adds this detail:
The fate of the accident victims was unknown until eyewitness accounts at the scene reported that a man succumbed to his injuries following the crash this evening.
According to those eye witnesses, family members were present and a very brave local woman provided comfort until emergency services arrived.
There are three Amish settlements in Allegany County. Based on where this wreck occurred, it’s likely that Miller was from the Wellsville community, home to around 300 Amish people.
Logging trucks are among the vehicles I least like sharing the road with. Besides the immense amount of weight they carry, I never feel comfortable that whoever loaded them has gotten their cargo fully secured.
Reports are that the buggy driver turned out in front of the truck. So it appears that this accident has little to do with those concerns (assuming that other factors like speed weren’t involved).
New York State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Collision Reconstruction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit has investigated, and there is no news of any tickets or charges at this time.
The fact is that though motor vehicle drivers are often at fault in buggy wrecks, buggy drivers are sometimes to blame as well. And as the New York State Police describe it, the accident was caused by the buggy pulling out in front of the truck.
It goes without saying it’s shocking and sad for this family and community for someone so young to lose his life so suddenly.
