In a tragic incident, a woman and horse were killed, and another man was injured after a semi-truck collided with an Amish buggy in Wisconsin, as reported by WISC. The two passengers in the open-top buggy were thrown out of the vehicle, with one of them, a 30-year-old man, being taken to a hospital. The buggy was destroyed and the semi-truck sustained moderate damage, though the driver was unharmed.
Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill commented on these sorts of buggy accidents, saying “I wouldn’t say they’re are uncommon, unfortunately.” He added, “Our dispatch center was called about a semi versus buggy crash that occurred out on State Highway 81” and explained that the siblings were likely on their way back from an Amish get-together.
Gill also noted that buggies are a common sight on the roads. In October 2021, a crash in Grant County, Wisconsin, involving a minivan and an Amish buggy, killed two people, including a child, after a rear-ending threw five people from the buggy, as reported by KCRG. The next month, eight Amish were injured, and one died in north-central Wisconsin when a buggy was again rear-ended at “highway speeds,” according to KARE 11. The driver was arrested for suspicion of operating under the influence of a controlled substance and inattentive driving, according to authorities.
The Wisconsin Amish community is the fourth-largest in North America, with a population of over 15,000, as stated by Amish America. This community has been around since 1920, with the oldest settlement being the Medford Amish settlement.