Amish Boy Severely Injured – When Startled Horse Turns Into Path Of 18-Wheeler
It was initially reported Wednesday that “a child was severely injured in a crash involving a horse and buggy in Lancaster County Wednesday morning.”
Now there are more details on how the crash occurred – due to a startled horse. From Fox 43:
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Update (Thursday, June 5 at 3:15 a.m.): Pa. State Police announced that the crash occurred when the horse became startled and turned into the semi-truck and trailer also involved in the crash as they were passing each other.
According to PSP, the buggy sustained significant damage while the semi-truck had minor damage. The semi-truck driver did not have any injuries, and the buggy driver had minor injuries. The 7-year-old passenger in the buggy who suffered head trauma was transported to Hershey Medical center.
A 10-year-old Amish girl was driving the cart (with reported “minor injuries”). Previously it was reported the boy suffered “severe head trauma”. Prayers for this boy that he makes it through with a full recovery.
Young Amish Drivers
I’m not going to get into deep speculation here but will just say this: All across the country, young Amish drivers are on the road. They operate vehicles, albeit slow horse-drawn ones, on the same roads used by cars and trucks weighing tons and driving at speeds even 8 to 10 times as fast.
Certainly experience and strength factor into controlling a horse. This accident occurred on a rather busy highway going through the county (PA Route 340, which is the road which passes through popular visitor towns like Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse).
It’s not as bad as nearby US 30, which I’m sometimes wary to drive down even in a car (if you’ve been on it or tried to make a turn on or off the road as 18-wheelers barrel past you on the overly narrow lanes, you know what I mean). But 340 is still a major road, albeit with (generally) better shoulders/buggy lanes than some roads.
It’s Amish parents’ discretion whether they allow their children to travel by horse-drawn vehicle on public roads – and at what age they start doing so. But culture-wide, it tends to be well below the age that many non-Amish people would view as “safe” for their own children to do analogous activities.
This is hardly a new topic; well over a decade ago this was being discussed in Indiana with the involvement of lawmakers, but I don’t think much ever came of it.
There is a big cultural gap there, of course. Many things the Amish allow their children to do, your average US suburban parents would never allow their similarly-aged children to do.
The fact is that Amish children get into bad accidents when they lose control of their horses…but so do Amish adults. At the same time, that doesn’t mean there aren’t also realities of skill, strength and experience that come into play.
Amish Children
These children operating buggies amidst traffic or otherwise is nothing more than child endangerment. These children are in danger of not only being killed or killing someone else from skittish animals, but they’re also in danger of being kidnapped! This culture doesn’t give any thought to the dangers, the parents want something done and have no problem sending their young kiddos out on the roads, danger be damned! The parents should be going to jail. This is ridiculous… any other parent would be imprisoned and CPS would take those kids faster than you can say child abuse! Let’s stop normalizing this cultures insane ways… #saveamishchildren
You think what you want children today don’t even know how to ride a bikes anymore because they have no where to ride for one 2 is parents don’t take them outside and make children worry about being kidnapped big no no to C&Y is a joke children are getting killed in their care and molested and even having teenagers get pregnant by their molesters I even know of a boy at 13 years who got his house mom pregnant and all of this happened in the last 20 years so tell me
Buggy Versus 18 Wheeler
My wife and I and our entire church are praying for the good Lord to heal the young man and his sister.
Respectful Common Sense
Do the words “respect” and “common sense” even exist in the English language anymore?
Most of todays society is so disrespectful of each other.
Everyone needs to slowdown and look out for others.