Passing Driver Uses His Car To Save Amish Buggy Horse Loose On Interstate (Ohio)
A quick-thinking driver likely saved an Amish horse’s life earlier today – and possibly the lives of other drivers on a well-trafficked Ohio interstate.
An Amish horse ran onto the busy highway early Tuesday morning after an SUV struck its buggy in Ashland County, Ohio. But a passing driver used his own car to hold the horse against the guardrail until troopers arrived.
The crash happened on U.S. 250 in Montgomery Township shortly after 6 AM. The horse broke away from the buggy and kept running until it reached Interstate 71, a main route between Cleveland and Columbus with plenty of semi traffic.
Cleveland 19 reports, citing the Ohio State Highway Patrol:
Around 6:18 a.m. on Tuesday, a 2014 Ford Explorer struck an Amish buggy due to following too close to the horse-drawn carriage.
OSHP says that after the crash, the horse became detached from the buggy and continued running west on U.S. 250 before entering I-71 North in Montgomery Township.
A passing driver noticed the horse running in the right lane and used his car to guide the animal onto the right shoulder against the guardrail.
The driver kept the horse secured until troopers arrived, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Good that driver had his wits about him at that early-morning hour – and was able to pull off what sounds like it was a tricky, if not dangerous, maneuver. The horse is described as “running” in the right lane, so it was moving at some speed. Not to mention, this happened about an hour before sunrise, so it was still dark.
According to the OSHP, neither driver was injured. The horse suffered several cuts to its legs, but that doesn’t sound too serious, at least not life-threatening to the horse.
This is the second buggy crash in Ashland County in less than a week; the area is no stranger to them. And a number have happened on the county’s highways. Last Friday, a car struck a buggy from behind on State Route 302, and a 9-week-old girl was seriously injured. In February, a car hit a buggy on U.S. 42 and threw a 4-month-old and the child’s parents from the vehicle. In July 2025, a small child had to be airlifted after a pickup struck a buggy on Ohio 96.
Tuesday’s crash is also not the first time a horse has turned up along I-71 in the county. In November 2023, troopers from the OSHP followed a loose horse beside the interstate and eventually coaxed her in with granola bars, according to Fox 8. That horse had escaped from its owner along with several others and was not reported to be an Amish-owned horse.
Save a horse save a life
What an incredible act of bravery by that driver! Stepping in to catch a runaway buggy horse on an active interstate takes massive courage. He saved the horse and likely prevented a catastrophic collision.
I know firsthand that loose livestock keeps you on your toes! I remember coming home late one night after a long trip, pulling up to Roy Borntreger’s house to drop him and his family off. As we turned the corner on the gravel road, we found 15 escaped horses having an impromptu street party right in front of his place! Roy had to coach me on how to use my maxi van to help corral them all back in.
There is truly never a dull moment in Amish country. Kudos to the brave hero in Ohio!
– The Barefoot Amish Taxi Driver
Nickles mines.
No horsing around
It is good to hear that someone else was able to do something nice for the Amish this time. They do many things to help the outside community with no strings attached just to be nice. And the outside world is not often very friendly to them as we see from many examples. So glad this went well for everyone!