Four people hospitalized after buggy accident in Deerfield

DEERFIELD, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Four people were hospitalized and a horse is dead following an accident between a car and a horse-drawn carriage in the town of Deerfield, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, July 22, sheriffs responded to Route 12 in the town of Deerfield at approximately 6:20 p.m. Further investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle – 20-year-old Chase Brewer of Mohawk – was traveling northbound on Route 12 when he moved into the right lane to pass an uninvolved vehicle.

Brewer allegedly did not notice that there was already a buggy in the right lane, driven by 19-year-old Rebecca Hershberger from Poland. Brewer’s car then crashed into the back of Hershberger’s buggy. According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, a 17-year-old and a nine-year-old boy were also in the buggy.

Route 12 was closed for several hours while the accident was investigated, but has since reopened. According to the sheriff’s office, the accident is still being investigated by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division.

All three people in the buggy were taken to Wynn Hospital in Utica, as was Brewer. Sheriffs officials said Hershberger was in critical but stable condition. The passengers in Hershberger’s buggy were later taken to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where they are in critical condition.

According to sheriffs, Brewer’s injuries are not life-threatening. Hershberger’s horse was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Oneida County Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scene by Kunkel Ambulance and the Maynard and Deerfield fire departments. The Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information to call investigators at 315-765-2767.