Will charges be filed? Decision made after Amish buggy accident

Charges are pending following Sunday night’s Amish horse-drawn carriage crash in Cumberland County. Virginia State Police officials said the decision to file charges was made after consulting with Cumberland County Attorney Wendy Hannah.

Since Monday afternoon, we have had more information about the cause of the accident and what happened next. According to Matthew Demlein, PR Manager of the Virginia State Police (VSP), A Ford F250 pickup truck was traveling south on Cumberland Road when it struck the back of an Amish horse-drawn carriage.

Demlein said there were seven people on board the buggy at the time of the crash. One of those people, a young girl, died at the scene. Another young girl remains in critical condition. The other five people in the buggy sustained non-life-threatening injuries. They were all taken to VCU Medical Center, where they were treated and released.

Demlein said the driver of the Ford F250 was not injured in the accident, which occurred shortly before 7 p.m.

Amish carriage accidents are an ongoing problem

This is the latest in a series of accidents involving Amish horse-drawn carriages. The most recent occurred on Thursday, April 18, in Buckingham County. The horse in this case was startled by the revving engine of a passing car. The horse-drawn carriage overturned, injuring a young girl. However, most Amish horse-drawn carriage accidents happen because another driver is cornering at high speed and does not notice the horse-drawn carriage until it is too late.

A change in state law last year, Senate Bill 938, required the installation of white lights on the front of the buggy and a red light on the back to make it easier for drivers to see it and respond in time.
“All vehicles, including animal-drawn vehicles or other mobile devices, not otherwise listed in this article, required to be equipped with certain lights shall carry at least one or more white lights in the front and one red light in the rear, visible in clear weather from a distance of at least 500 feet in front and behind such vehicles,” SB 938 states. “Such lights may be battery-operated.”

The bill, which passed both houses of the House without a single dissenting vote, also allows animal-drawn vehicles to use, in place of lights or in addition to lights, a reflector of a type, size and color approved by the Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. This reflector must be permanently attached to the rear and front of the vehicles.

Many Amish families in the area have gone beyond the original requirement and equipped their buggies with yellow lights and reflective tape.