Buggy Accidents

Amish Teen Buggy Driver Charged With DUI After Hitting SUV

An Amish teen in the New Wilmington, PA community has been charged with a DUI after registering a 0.47 blood alcohol level. His buggy got into a fender-bender with an SUV, leading to the charges. According to the report in New Castle News, the young man in question “faces one count each of driving under the influence, purchase of alcohol by a minor, a stop…

6 Things You Might Not Know About Buggy Accidents

What do racing horses have to do with Plain buggies? And why do some feel safer in a buggy than a car? Reporter Corey Kilgannon recently visited Plain communities in New York to learn about buggy safety from the local Mennonite and Amish populations. The result is a pair of articles in the New York Times. In “Quaint Buggies, With a Deadly Side“, Kilgannon explores…

Three Children Killed In Michigan Buggy Crash

Three Children Killed In Michigan Buggy Crash

An awful story from yesterday morning: EVERGREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan State Police say three children were killed and six other people were critically injured when a pickup truck crashed into a buggy Sunday morning. It happened at 8:34 a.m. on Condensary Road at Wood Road in Evergreen Township, southeast of Sheridan. Police say the truck was eastbound on Condensary Road when it hit…

Swartzentruber Amish Testing Unusual Buggy Visibility Solution (Updated)

Do you recall the recent story of the Amish man who had survived 14 buggy crashes? Levi Shetler is a member of the Swartzentruber Amish group, which does not use the orange safety triangle and other otherwise-common safety features. It looks like change is coming to the group’s approach to vehicle safety – at least in Shetler’s corner of Ohio. Amish in the man’s community have…

Ohio Amishman Has Survived 14 Buggy Accidents

Levi Shetler is a member of the conservative Swartzentruber Amish. This group is known for a very low-tech lifestyle. Even other Amish comment on the austerity of their lives and aversion to technology. Last month, Shetler’s buggy was hit by a vehicle in his northeastern Ohio community, resulting in the death of a passenger. As it turns out, this is the 54-year-old Amishman’s 14th buggy accident….

Bizarre Buggy Hit-and-Run In Michigan

You might read this post title and assume that an unfortunate Amish buggy driver was the victim in this accident. And I wouldn’t blame you. That’s usually the case. But in this instance the tables were turned, when a non-Amish woman was hit by a buggy seemingly “out of nowhere.” Victoria Ulrick was driving in Gladwin County, Michigan, home to two Amish settlements, when a passing buggy veered into…

Is the SMV Triangle Really the Best Buggy Safety Marking?

In 2011 and 2012, a number of Kentucky Amishmen landed in jail for not carrying an SMV safety triangle on their buggies. This story got major news attention across the nation. State law was eventually altered to allow reflective tape instead of the triangle, thanks in part to 138 hand-written letters sent by an Amishman to Kentucky legislators. While the vast majority of Amish use the triangle, a…

Over 600 Pennsylvania Buggy Accidents since 2003

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has put together a graphic showing the number of buggy crashes in Pennsylvania since 2003.  The chart displays year-by-year accident totals as well as crash rates for a number of counties with a significant Amish population. Over the past decade, 2006 saw the most accidents, with 78.  The fewest were recorded in 2003, with 56.  The chart accounts for 665 crashes though…

How much should be done to improve buggy safety?

How much should be done to improve buggy safety?

Webster County, Missouri Amishman Emanuel Schwartz shares his road safety concerns with a news station in this video. Schwartz would like the Missouri DOT to create more buggy pull-offs on a dangerous stretch of highway. These are particularly important in hilly areas or on curves where visibility is poor. Amish take into account road traffic when founding a new community. However that is just one…

Should 10-year-old Amish buggy drivers get off the road?

Is this the next road battle for the Amish?  A local news station did an investigative piece on young Amish drivers in Indiana (the Swiss Amish settlements in Allen and Adams Counties).  They discovered children aged 12, 11, and even 10 driving horse-drawn vehicles. If you’ve spent time in Amish communities, that shouldn’t come as a big shock.  Amish children learn to drive horse-drawn vehicles…