Have a look at this buggy wreck photo…can you believe the driver escaped “shaken, but not injured”?

The accident happened on Prince Edward Island, first settled by Amish in 2016. From the Canadian Press:

A horse-drawn buggy was destroyed Wednesday morning after colliding with a truck on a rural road in the New Perth area, near where many Amish families have bought farms in the last three years.

Honkoop said the 17-year-old male driving the truck had failed to properly clear the windshield of frost outside and steam inside, and rear-ended the carriage on Route 22.

Both male drivers were shaken, but not injured, he said. The horse was treated at the scene by a local veterinarian.

It seems the main reason the buggy driver dodged death or major injury is because he was ejected.

This is why seat belts in buggies makes little to no sense. Getting tossed clear of the wreckage may be exactly what you want to have happen. I shudder to think of the outcome if he were strapped into that wreckage.

Not only did this lucky fellow, a 20-year-old Amish male on his way to work, survive, but his horse made it through okay as well. Thanks in part to a fortunate fall:

“It did have some light-to-moderate damage — flesh wounds, if you will. But it didn’t happen to be anything bone-related,” Honkoop said, noting that the horse fell not to its knees but to its chest, limiting damage.

Buggy accidents happen sadly too often. If I shared every one, we’d have twice the number of posts here.

I wrote about this one because looking at that photo I still can’t believe the person inside made it through okay.

The photo also brings home what the force generated by a motor vehicle weighing tons can inflict upon a relatively flimsy carriage. It’s really no contest.

There have been two or three accidents involving Amish since their arrival in Prince Edward Island, according to Constable Honkoop in the article.

For the most part I think the Amish have been welcomed here, with buggy warning signs and hitching posts put up in the area.

At the same time the article mentions some “aggressive driving from impatient drivers, honking and making inappropriate passes.”

You might also like:


Get the Amish in your inbox


    Question on the Amish? Get answers to 300+ questions in 41 categories at the Amish FAQ.