Amish Man & Woman Airlifted After Buggy Wreck on Iowa Road With Deadly History
Two people were airlifted for treatment after a Friday afternoon buggy crash in Iowa’s largest Amish community – on a road with a deadly history for Amish in the community. From the report at the Bloomfield Democrat:
Davis County Deputy Sheriff James Johnson said Tuesday morning he did not yet have a complete official report on the Amish buggy/pickup truck accident that occurred on 180th Street east of Drakesville at 1:24 p.m. on July 10.
Johnson was able to say that a buggy was rearended by a 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by Barbara Hird of Bloomfield.
There were two occupants in the buggy, a man and a woman, who were airlifted to other facilities for treatment of their injuries.
There was also the detail that they were airlifted from separate locations:
Johnson said one person was airlifted by helicopter from the Drakesville Park. The other accident victim was airlifted from the helipad at Davis County Hospital.
It’s not explained why. The official accident report is not complete, as noted, and no charges have been reported.
Davis County is home to Iowa’s largest Amish community, settled in 1971 and commonly referred to by the name of the nearby town of Bloomfield. The community numbers several hundred families and is one of the state’s more established Amish settlements.
A Road With A Deadly History
Sadly, 180th Street has a notorious history when it comes to buggy safety. This crash occurred east of Drakesville. The same rural road just west of town was the site of a 2014 crash that killed Rachel Schrock, 30, of Bloomfield.
In that wreck, a pickup also rear-ended the buggy, ejecting six occupants, including multiple children. 180th Street is also the road where 9-year-old Merlin Beechy was struck and killed in a 2018 hit-and-run.
It makes you wonder if this road might not be a good candidate for the buggy warning system that has gone in on one Minnesota highway, and is being considered elsewhere.
Let’s hope this one ends up in the non-fatal category for the man and woman involved.
