Four Amish Children To Hospital After Buggy Runs Stop Sign

The accident here does not at all appear to be the motor vehicle driver’s fault, to make that clear right off the bat. The buggy had four children in it, ages 13, 10, 8, and 6, one of whom was driving (presumably the 13-year-old) when the accident happened on Monday afternoon.

The buggy passed through a stop sign without stopping, and was hit by a pickup truck. This happened on the eastern side of Cattaraugus County, New York, which has a smallish community (the large Conewango Valley settlement is on the other side of the county). From wivb.com:

“The operator of the pick up truck, once hitting the vehicle, did get out, all the children were ejected,”* said James O’Callaghan, public information officer NYS Police Troop A. “He did provide aid for them, troopers were close by and medical staff were able to get there quickly. We did use mercy flight for one of the children.”

*I corrected this quote slightly, which was mis-transcribed from what O’Callaghan actually said, see video below

The buggy in the aftermath of the accident looks really bad, as you can see in the photo below. All four of the children went to the hospital and two are in critical condition.

Photo: New York State Police

Here’s the video report:

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    7 Comments

    1. QH

      Buggy Accident

      So awful, but do you know if the horse was killed? I drive through a bunch of areas with Amish going by in buggies. We try to be very careful.

      Thank you-
      QH

    2. K

      What happened to the horse?

      What happened to the horse?….. Why is the horse not mentioned in this article?

    3. Why

      Why was a 13 year old driving a buggy without adult supervision? This all could have been avoided. Seat belts in buggies needs to be a mandated LAW for then also CAR SEATS ALSO

      1. Heather Knisley

        Response to Sheila

        After looking at the picture of the buggy, I doubt seat belts and car seats would have made any difference.

    4. Phyllis

      Prayers

      My prayers are with this family!

    5. Debbie

      buggy accident

      I realize that people need to be very “aware” of buggies in Amish areas, but no one (news outlets; even Eric sometimes) seems to ever fault the Amish themselves as to some of these sad occurrances. Amish need to be just as mindful (again, where are adults here!) when they are travelling in a buggy on public roadways. They also need to be held accountable PUBLICLY (again news feeds and general opinion).

      1. Pat Monti

        Buggy Accident

        Debbie, I agree with most of your content and have previously shared my thoughts regarding this subject several times. However, IMO Erik does a fabulous job and realizes the Amish; as with any society, is not perfect.