Two severely injured Saturday in Amish buggy crash

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

CALIFORNIA TWP. — Two people were seriously injured in an early Saturday morning crash on East Southern Road.

Michigan State Police responded at 12:32 a.m. after a westbound vehicle hit an Amish buggy from behind. The crash occurred between Duquid and Locus roads on the north side of East Southern Road. The site near Miller Farms is a mile and a quarter west of the Hillsdale County line.

Michigan State Police
Michigan State Police

The buggy was destroyed and five people were injured.

Fremont, Indiana Fire Department sent medical first responders.

A woman sustained critical head and back injuries, first responders said. Firefighters set up a landing zone. The Samaritan helicopter flew the woman to Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne in critical condition.  A male sustained serious broken leg bones. LifeCare ambulance transported him to Parkview.

First responders said both were recovering after surgery.

A second helicopter could not reach the crash site because of heavy cloud cover to the north.

Three others on the buggy received minor injuries. Stueben County EMS transported them to Cameron Hospital in Angola for treatment.

The driver told the first responders he did not see the buggy before he struck it. The area is a two-lane, relatively flat asphalt road. Saturday night, with no moon and clouds, the area was very dark, according to those at the site.

Amish buggies in California Township usually have reflector tape and reflectors like this one on Copeland Road in January.
Amish buggies in California Township usually have reflector tape and reflectors like this one on Copeland Road in January.

The Amish who live in the area at least use reflectors on their buggies, but it was unclear if there were any lights or reflectors on the smashed buggy.

Michigan State Police had not released any other information by press time Monday. Troopers are investigating the crash.

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The horse broke loose. Responding fire trucks spotted the horse running near Phillips Road, a mile west of the crash site. Social media reported the animal was caught.

---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Two severely injured Saturday in Amish buggy crash