11-Year-Old Amish Boy Seriously Injured After Buggy Pulls Into Path Of Oncoming SUV
It’s believed that an 11-year-old Amish boy pulled out into oncoming traffic, resulting in a serious accident in Gladwin County, Michigan on Wednesday morning.
According to police the boy’s view was obscured. Here’s more from ABC 12:
The crash happened just after 10 a.m. on McCulloch Rd., about a quarter-mile north of Lang Road in Beaverton Township.
According to the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office, an 11-year-old boy, who was occupying the buggy, was exiting a driveway of a private residence on McCulloch when he was hit by a 79-year-old woman driving a Buick Enclave.
Police say that due to vegetation at the end of the driveway near the road, the 11-year-old was unable to see vehicles traveling north on McCulloch Road and pulled out of the driveway, where he and the horse were hit by the SUV.
Many drivers know firsthand that visual obstructions on the road, like vegetation, signs, poles, and trees, can cause a problem when trying to pull out into traffic. It’s not clear which drive the buggy pulled out of, or if it’s even visible here, but there appears to be a decent amount of roadside vegetation here:
And if you’ve only got one or two horsepower to accelerate out into a lane, it makes it that much more dangerous a situation.
The boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The horse did not survive the wreck. You can see by the position of the buggy in these photos, debris on the road, and damage to the car, that it was quite an impact.
This is another Michigan buggy wreck, following a bad one, one week ago – and another one out of Gladwin County. We’ve covered wrecks in the county including an alleged drunk driver who put two Amish in the hospital over July 4th, and a semi that struck two buggies at once, also in Beaverton Township.
However this time, it appears this one was no fault of the motor vehicle driver. That contrasts with the study we looked at back in April, which found that 76% of cause-reported buggy crashes are the fault of car drivers.
The driver of the SUV was taken to hospital as well, with “non-life-threatening injuries”. Please keep them in your prayers and especially that the boy will pull through.
Common sense would tell you that the view at the end of a lane should be cleared for a safe passage. And the poor horse didn’t have a choice.
The county or state should have already cut the trees back and why is a child driving a buggy alone ? July 4th hasn’t happened this year yet
Safety
We just heard that the Amish are adopting new safety practices. Probably not all Amish. In fact very few Amish.
It’s Time To Alter The Amish Culture
The lives of human beings and horses being lost has got to be having even God shaking his head. It’s time to trade in the horse/buggy mode of transportation for the safety of automobiles.
Say what?
You say it’s time to trade in the horse and buggy for the safety of the automobile? IT IS THE MOTOR VEHICLES THAT ARE DOING THE KILLING, not the horse and buggy!
It’s time to trade your motor vehicle in for roller skates or a bicycle or a skateboard or just walk!! And if the Amish gave up the horse and buggy and started walking they’d probably get hit along the shoulder of the road also by motor vehicles. SPEED KILLS. Slow down and drive 20 miles an hour in your motor vehicle and not as many people will die or even be seriously injured.
Amish buggies
Who made you God and judge of all people who drive in amish country need to slow down and pay attention, a horse can do 10 miles and hr usually and you
want to do 50
Speed an issue?
Sure looks like a lot of damage. I have to wonder if speed and age were an issue. I’m 68 and know my reflexes aren’t what they used to be.
Please be careful when driving in Amish communities and pray for all in need.