Pickup Driver Hits Buggy Full Of Amish Teens & Flees — Leaving Two Seriously Injured And A Dead Horse (UPDATED)

A buggy carrying Amish youth was hit by a pickup truck late Friday night in Geauga County, Ohio, causing serious injuries to at least two Amish teens.

Unfortunately, the young driver of the pickup did not see fit to stop and help the occupants of the buggy he’d just hit. Instead, after freeing his truck from a ditch, he fled, according to authorities. More from the Geauga Maple Leaf:

The driver of a pickup truck that struck an Amish horse-drawn buggy on Bundysburg Road in Parkman Township April 11 before fleeing the scene will be facing charges for the incident, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.

While the driver did not stop after the collision early that afternoon, OSHP Sgt. Aaron Belcher said April 14 officials learned within 24 hours Danny Yoder, 21, of West Farmington, was reportedly driving the 2014 white Chevy Silverado.

Yoder was traveling southbound on Bundysburg Road when an Amish buggy driven by James Miller, 18, of Middlefield Township, was traveling northbound at about 1 a.m. April 11, Belcher said.

Yoder’s truck reportedly went left of center, struck the horse and buggy, swerved and ended up in a ditch, he said.

After getting the truck out of the ditch, Yoder, who was uninjured, allegedly fled the scene, Belcher said.

There were three passengers in the buggy, two aged 18, and one 16. All were taken to hospital and one was later flown to another facility. Two of the girls in the buggy were listed as having “serious” injuries.

Sadly, the horse had to be euthanized.

Fleeing such a situation makes you wonder if the driver was not inebriated. In hit-and-run situations, that certainly comes into play as a motive to run.

We can also note the time of the incident as the “wee hours” of Friday night/Saturday morning. However, there is no indication in this report that any charges related to that are coming.

Yoder will, though, likely face charges including causing injury in an accident, which is a felony.

Some are wondering: is the driver Amish? Both the driver of the pickup (Yoder) and his passenger (Hostetler) have surnames common among the Amish.  A number of commenters on social media are suggesting or wondering if they also are from the Amish community.

I don’t know, but it’s certainly possible, as it’s not unusual for young (unbaptized) Amish men to get driver’s licenses in some communities. It’s too bad this happened, and you can only say it’s fortunate that no one – besides the horse – lost their life. Good wishes and prayers for a full recovery to the young ladies.

Update

A Geauga County source tells me that the driver is in fact Amish, and was traveling at a very high rate of speed at the time of the accident. The horse-and-buggy were reportedly hit head on, with the horse essentially saving the teens by absorbing much of the impact.

Still, some who saw the buggy said that they had “never seen one that obliterated”. It sounds like the teens in the buggy were very fortunate to have survived. And the driver has a lot to answer for.

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