Two Amish Children Airlifted After Crash; Horse Killed (Holmes County, Ohio)
A bad accident happened last night in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish community. Two children were seriously injured and had to be airlifted to hospital after the buggy they were traveling in was rear-ended. More details:
SUGARCREEK TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol says an Amish couple and their children were hurt late Wednesday when a car rear-ended their buggy.
It happened around 9:15 p.m. on U.S. 250 in Sugarcreek Township in Stark County.
The highway patrol says a 29-year-old man driving a sedan collided with the buggy from behind.
Inside the buggy were a husband, wife and their two children, according to troopers.
Brewster EMS took the family to Mercy Hospital for treatment.
The children were later flown by medical helicopter to Akron Children’s Hospital.
The children’s injuries are described as “serious”, while the condition of the parents was not released.
The 29-year-old driver of the car was also taken to hospital. Police do not suspect drug or alcohol involvement in this accident. Another source is reporting that the horse was killed.
Just a note on location: this was not exactly in the Sugarcreek town area – neighboring Stark County, also containing part of the Holmes County settlement, has its own township named Sugarcreek Township.
Hoping these children can recover fully from whatever their injuries are. Just must be an awful thing to go through for the entire family.
Holmes County: Fewer accidents for its size?
Being the second-largest Amish community in the world, at nearly 40,000 Amish people, you’d think you would hear about more accidents in the Holmes County settlement.
Yet – and I have to underline this is just my impression, I’m not using data here – they don’t seem to occur as often here (or perhaps, they are not reported on as often).
But, since serious accidents are more likely to make the news, there may be something to the idea that roads are safer for buggies in the Holmes County settlement than in say, Lancaster County.
And there are other obvious reasons why that might be the case, when comparing those two settlements at least.
The main one being: Lancaster County has a much higher population (around a half-million people) compared to the Holmes County area, which may be 10 to 20% of that, population-wise when you include all the surrounding areas where Amish live.
Perhaps locals in the area are more conscientious drivers as well, though that would be difficult to determine.
Here are four serious accidents in Lancaster County in which Amish people were either killed or severely injured since 2020. In the same time frame, I came across one very bad Holmes County accident that we covered here.
Now of course, I didn’t cover everything that happened in that time frame, so this is very unscientific. But my impression, for what it’s worth, is that we see more bad ones out of Lancaster County, the types of wrecks that are more likely to make the news.
Maybe that is incorrect, but that’s what it seems like at least, and it would make sense just based on the comparative population density of the two settlements.
Comparing crash counties
As someone who did crash field research for almost 30 years, I’d be interested in the environments of both of these areas. Are there roadway obstructions that hide buggies from view? Are there corn fields that block the views of oncoming traffic at intersections? What about curves, dips, hilltops, grades? All of these things can impact visibility.
I hope that those involved make a full recovery.
First off, prayers for everyone involved, I hope they make a full recovery. To answer some of your questions Ann, much of the Greater Holmes Amish community is pretty hilly with some narrow and curvy roads. 3 out of the 5 counties that the Amish here reside in (Holmes, Tuscarawas and Coschocton) are actually considered to be a part of Appalachia. There are definitely some intersections in this community with poor visibility, they make me nervous in a car…I can’t even imagine being in a buggy at some of those spots. I don’t have as much experience with the Lancaster settlement but from what experience I do have it is no where near as hilly as Holmes. I would say less curvy with more visibility in general. As Erik pointed out Lancaster is much more populated with a lot more vehicle traffic.
Yup, hilly and curvy
I have visited Holmes County in our motorhome several times. The countryside is very hilly. The roads are also very curvy. Especially on the back roads, but also quite a few of the main roads, there are numerous blind hills and curves. Driving a 24’, 13000 pound vehicle, I try to be very careful on those roads. Not all of the local drivers are that careful. I have come across any number of … idiots … who will pass in no-passing zones, on blind curves, etc. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised there aren’t more accidents.
We have also visited Lancaster multiple times. It is much flatter than Holmes, with fewer sharp curves. There is more traffic in Lancaster, but I feel the drivers are not as crazy.
The Hard Truth
No one wants to deal with the real issue. No one wants to ruffle feathers or take a hard, honest look at the truth, and implement real, lasting changes within the system. The status quo isn’t working.
These changes need to be sound and effective, not useless gestures that further impede experienced, aware, and diligent drivers. Distracted driving must be cracked down on hard. Visibility improvements for buggies and slow vehicles must be mandatory. Road designs need to accommodate all users safely.
It’s time to stop avoiding the uncomfortable truths and start making the tough decisions that will save lives.
We spent three nights last week in Holmes County before spending a night in Shipshiwana, IN for a Christian concert.
Noted few buggies on Holmes County roads, and not in the towns we visited (Millersburg, Berlin, Charm, Baltic, Sugar Creek, etc). Electric bikes, yes, plenty. With excellent led lights and highly reflective vests.
In the smaller Shipshiwana, saw more buggies than bicycles. Just our observation.