Amish Teen Killed on Fishing Trip After Car Rear-Ends Open Buggy in Kentucky
Another tragic buggy crash has claimed the life of a young member of an Amish community in northern Kentucky, and left two others injured.
The crash happened this past Saturday in Carroll County, Kentucky, as local Amish youth were on a fishing trip. According to reporting by the Madison Courier:
The teens were traveling along with other teens from an Old Order Amish community in Henry and Carroll counties in three horse-drawn buggies for a fishing trip in Carroll County when a 2010 Nissan Altima driven by Daniel Crawford, 44, of Carrollton, overtook the boys’ rig and rear-ended the open-air buggy, throwing them from the vehicle at about 8:40 p.m.
Crawford was uninjured in the crash but the three teens were transported to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville for life-threatening injuries, two of whom had serious head and back injuries.
One of the injured boys, a 16-year-old named David Troyer, passed away at the hospital, having never regained consciousness. He was removed from life support on Sunday. The Courier also shares the moving detail that his organs were donated.
What an unimaginably tough thing to go through. As noted, the teens were traveling “for a fishing trip”, which sounds like they were heading out for some evening casting, as the wreck happened around 8:40 PM. I am sorry for David’s family, friends, and community.
In the Young Center compilation of Amish communities, there is no settlement listed for Carroll County, Kentucky.
However there are three Amish settlements in neighboring Henry County. The Courier article calls this a “community in Henry and Carroll counties” so perhaps that means that some of the families live across county lines.
There is a community in the area of a place called Turners Station in Henry County, which is quite close to the county line, of over 200 people. David Troyer is said to be from this community.
Taking the buggy out for outdoor activities like fishing is pretty common among the Amish. We only recently had a report of another accident involving a group of Amish people out on a very early-morning fishing trip.
A report at The 812 added this detail from a friend of the family:
“Please pray for the parents who tonight are facing every parent’s worst nightmare. Pray for the siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends whose lives will never be the same. Pray for the children who witnessed this tragedy, that will carry those memories with them forever and please pray for our Amish community,” she said.
She added, “And please pray for the local man involved in the accident. I cannot imagine the weight he is carrying tonight. This tragedy has changed many lives forever.”
The other two teens, described as having “life-threatening” injuries are presumably still in hospital in Louisville. Keep them in your prayers as well. An investigation is ongoing; it’s unknown if there will be any charges at this time.
I am good friends with this community near Campbellsburg, Kentucky. They moved here from Ohio and Berne, Indiana. Mostly Troyer(s) and Christner(s). I was at the hospital with the family when Neal passed. Took the girl home that same day. The other boy is doing OK, expected to go home very soon. Funeral is Thursday, June 4.