Criminal Complaint: Driver’s Phone Showed 18 Downloaded TikTok Videos Around Time Of Fatal Buggy Crash
Last August, Clark County, Wisconsin saw a tragic buggy wreck, which claimed the life of an Amish man and seriously injured a 12-year-old Amish child
Now, charges have been filed: the driver faces homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle, and reckless driving causing great bodily harm.
Details have also emerged that shed light on what may have contributed to the wreck.
Driver Suggests The Buggy Caused The Wreck
For his part, the driver, 38-year-old Trevor Olson, says that he attempted to pass the horse-and-buggy. But what he claims suggests that the buggy actually caused the accident. From WEAU:
Olson said he was north bound on CTH K on his way home from work at Grassland. He said he saw the horse and buggy from a distance traveling north bound on CTH K on the side of the road.
Olson said he took a drink of his soda and put it back down. He said as he went to go around the horse and buggy it swerved out into the lane of traffic, and he struck it from behind.
But further details have emerged on how the vehicle was being operated at the time of impact:
The download of the vehicles infotainment system, or CDR shows the vehicle was traveling 59mph at the point of impact with no braking before the crash along with no steering or limited steering showing an attempt to avoid the collision.
No braking and no or “limited” steering would be consistent with a buggy swerving out in front of the vehicle, I suppose. Assuming it happens right as you’re passing, leaving you no time to react. It could also indicate not paying attention.
I’m not sure what the speed limit is on that stretch of road; one search indicated 55 mph.
In any case, it doesn’t seem he was slowing down much to pass the buggy – which is one thing that would provide more reaction time, if what Olson claims is true and the buggy did in fact swerve out in front of him.
Was the driver using TikTok?
However, there is one digital detail uncovered which would give authorities reason to suspect he was using his phone at the time:
The criminal complaint says a download of Olson’s phone showed 18 downloaded videos from TikTok around the time of the crash.
When authorities asked Olson in an interview if he was on his phone at the time of the crash, Olson said he doesn’t remember but doesn’t think so.
If it is the case that Olson was on his phone leading up to and/or during the crash, he wouldn’t be the first. Last year, an Amish bicyclist was killed by a driver “on his cellphone”. Other wrecks have seen drivers who were sending an email, killing an Amish horse, or checking Snapchat, killing an Amish teen.
Clark County is home to four separate Amish settlements. The group in the Loyal area numbers over 1,000 people.
This particular county might ring a bell for another tragic reason. In 2024, Clark County was the site of a fatal van crash which claimed the lives of nine people, including eight Amish people from Virginia.
Wisconsin Driver On TikTok
He “doesn’t think” he was on the phone at the time of the crash?? That alone screams to me, “This guy shouldn’t be driving!!” if he can’t remember! How long after the crash was he interviewed?? An hour?? Three days?? It’s pretty easy to blame an innocent animal for causing a crash. For shame . . .
Wait!
He remembers seeing the horse and buggy at a distance.
He remembers drinking his soda and putting it down.
He remembers trying to drive around the horse and buggy.
But, he says he can’t remember if he was using his phone or not(even though evidence shows he was using it around the time of the crash).
He can remember everything else. But not about the phone?
So far, the evidence points to him not paying attention while being on his phone and trying to pass blame on the Amish.