A recent article out of Pontotoc, Mississippi discussed an accident late last month which left two people injured, one critically. The accident was not your run of the mill crash involving two passenger vehicles. This one instead involved a Nissan Altima and a horse and buggy.
According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the strange accident took place at around 3:30 in the afternoon along Highway 341 in Pontotoc County. The crash involved a teenager driving a 2004 Nissan Altima and a middle aged Amish man operating a horse and buggy. According to authorities, the teen driver of the Nissan crashed into the back of Joe Hostetler’s buggy while traveling south on 341.
Police say that Hostetler was critically injured in the crash and was taken by air ambulance to the North Mississippi Medical Center. Authorities say that he suffered life-threatening injuries and was placed in critical condition. The driver of the Nissan also suffered injuries as a result of the crash, though they appear to be less serious. Police say the horse pulling the buggy sustained serious injuries and ultimately had to be put down.
Police have not yet filed criminal charges and say an investigation into the exact cause of the crash is ongoing.
Though the accident is certainly unusual, most people would likely be stunned at how often such collisions actually occur. A quick search turned up three different articles about vehicles colliding with horse and buggies in only the last two weeks. In one accident, an 18-year-old Amish man in Parkman, Ohio was hit and critically injured on his horse-drawn cart. Police say the area near the accident scene is hilly and the car that crashed into the buggy did not see the cart until it was too late.
In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, an SUV crashed into a horse and buggy in the early evening hours two weekends ago. The accident caused four children, an infant, a three-year-old, a four-year-old and a six-year-old, to be ejected from the buggy onto the road. The children miraculously survived the accident, but are currently recovering from critical injuries.
Finally, news reports indicate that an accident involving a Cadillac left a 17-year-old Amish boy dead and his 20-year-old sister in critical condition. The accident took place in Pawnee City, Nebraska and happened early in the morning. The area is hilly and it can be difficult to see horse-drawn carts until it’s too late to stop. Police say signs warning of buggies have been posted in the area but that these alerts were not enough to prevent this and other similar accidents.
Though accidents involving horse-drawn buggies may not happen every day here in Mississippi, they should serve as a good reminder of the importance of driving slowly and paying careful attention to the road in front of your vehicle. It’s good to be aware of your surroundings and be driving slowly enough that you can respond quickly to sudden developments on the road.
Accidents like this one require the assistance of an experienced lawyer, particularly if you want justice and a fair settlement. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident resulting from someone’s negligence, please contact the Jackson / Ridgeland auto accident attorneys at Kilpatrick & Philley at 601-707-4669.
Source: “MHP investigates two people injured in Amish buggy accident,” by Mel Carlock, published at WTVA.com.
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