Car Hits Amish Buggy “Head-On”; 10 Injured, Horse Put Down (UPDATED: Driver’s Father Explains How The Accident Happened & Update On The Family)

This is a bad one. There were nine Amish people in the buggy, eight of whom were children, including a three-month-old baby. The tenth injured person is the driver of the vehicle – which struck the buggy head-on yesterday in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

Details as far as the extent of injuries are scarce. Some are seriously injured, though there are no reports of fatalities at this time.

There are some disturbing details about the three-month-old Amish baby. Apparently it was trapped under the buggy. The report at WFMJ also includes the strange information that “attempts to transport the infant to the hospital by helicopter were unsuccessful.” (Note: as Richard helpfully points out below, this may have simply been due to weather conditions).

Here’s more on what happened:

FAIRVIEW TWP., Pa. – A head-on collision between one vehicle and an Amish buggy in Mercer County sent several people to the hospital on Wednesday evening.

The accident happened on State Route 19 near Fairview Road in Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, around 5:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania State troopers told 21 News on the scene that a vehicle with just the driver inside struck and hit a horse-drawn buggy with 9 people, including 8 children with ages ranging from three months to 14-years-old.

All 10 people involved were taken to the hospital. Troopers say there are serious injuries, but the extent or the number of people severely injured is unknown.

Troopers also say the three-month-old was trapped under the buggy, and attempts to transport the infant to the hospital by helicopter were unsuccessful.

You more often hear about Amish buggies being rear-ended or hit from the side than you do a head-on collision. Rear-end strikes happen because people misjudge their speed, suddenly come upon a buggy after encountering a visual obstacle like a hilltop or curve, and/or hit it due to distraction or impairment.

The speed difference between a buggy going 8 mph and a car doing 45 mph is too great, and there is often not enough time to react in one of the situations described above.

But head-on collisions presumably require a motor vehicle to leave its lane (we’re assuming the buggy was on the right side of the road). Perhaps the car lost control due to weather conditions?

The crash happened relatively early in the evening at 5:30 PM. There is a video and you can see in that, and these screenshots, that conditions are not great, with what appears to be a wintry mix of rain and snow falling.

There is one puzzling thing here based on what’s visible in the video. The crash is described as “head-on”in the report – but what we see here suggests heavy damage to the rear of the vehicle (see above photo in particular).

Perhaps that occurred after impact with the buggy, though there is no information on a second motor vehicle being involved that might create that degree of damage. The front of the vehicle is not really visible in the footage provided. Tom points out below that the car may have lost control, done a 180 and struck the buggy with its rear, which would still be considered “head-on” from the buggy’s perspective.

Mercer County is exceptional as one of a handful of counties having a half-dozen or more separate Amish settlements lying fully or partially within its borders. So buggy traffic is common across the county. Given the location, the closest settlement appears to be the one at Fredonia, home to around 400 Amish people.

There’s no indication whether this was a single family or a group, but it’s not unlikely that this is one family, eight children traveling with one of their parents. Keep them in your prayers; hopefully all will make it through.

Update (1) – Driver’s father says it was an accident due to weather conditions

Susan Hougelman shared a post on her Facebook page which included a post by a man named John Schell, who is apparently the father of the motor vehicle driver.

Here’s the relevant bit where he explains what happened, citing weather and an attempt to avoid another car:

At 5:22 last evening, Will was heading home from work. It was getting dark and raining steadily. After he passed through Fairview, he saw a car in his lane. He swerved to avoid being hit which made his car hydroplane. He was unable to regain control and it spun 180 degrees and struck an Amish buggy that was heading north. The impact was with the back of his car.

There are people spreading lies that he was speeding. Despite the heavy damage, it didn’t deploy a single airbag. Imagine hitting a 1500 pound deer. Even at 30mph, it would be destructive. There are people calling for people to pay attention. Attention to the road was not the issue. Weather and people passing buggies without a clear path was.

Below is the full post by John Schell, which I’ve also screenshotted below:

Update (2) – Good news on the family?

Here’s another update from Susan giving good news on the family. Susan is an area tour guide in the general area where the wreck happened, and the author of book on the Amish which I reviewed some years ago, so I consider her to be a reliable source:

It has been comfirmed by a friend of the Miller family.. entire Miller family, including the baby is going to be fine! Skull fractures, bumps, bruises cuts and scrapes and a lot of healing to do!!!

So, sounds like good news there, despite them sounding like they’re in rough shape. The car driver too also apparently has a concussion and other injuries according to his father’s post above. Wishing all of them the best for a full and swift recovery. Here is Susan’s post in full:

Get the Amish in your inbox

Join 15,000 email subscribers. No spam. 100% free

 

 

 

Subscribe