Truck Vs Amish Buggy in PA.

What a horrible horrible story.Reading it saddened me.I have the highest respect for the amish.Sounds to me like the driver was going way too fast.If he was blinded by the sun then common since tells you to slow down.

 

Tragic, but amazing. The driver is said to be native to the area, so he should know to keep his speed down and be aware. I drive through Amish country all the time, and I'm always on my toes. I don't want my name attached to one of these stories.

 

"The Amish buggy was pushed several yards down the road after it was hit."

Several yards is the understatement of the year.


I was pulling a van near Elkhart one rainy late evening. Visibility sucked. I was going 45 in a 55 and popped up over a hill. There a small Amish buggy directly in front of me being pulled by a pony. The buggy has no lights and I hardly saw the triangle reflector. The kids in the back got wide eyed really quick. I was able to pass them and gave them some angry air horn as I passed.

They had no business being out there on that rainy evening.

I had only been driving for 2 months when that happened.

 

I understand your anger but never blow your air horn or have your jakes on,that scares the horse.Like I said I have the highest respect for the amish and have as much right as we do to be out there no matter what the conditions are,but there should be a law in place that amish needs lights on their buggy.

 

There is a law about the lights in the Elkhart area. Sometimes the batteries get dim. I drive through the area weekly and one must always suspect they will be there and drive accordingly.

 

The thing is they need light on them so you can see them. I was head home to west plains,mo at 4 am a while back. I was on us 60 in Seymour and one of them buggies pulled through a red light. No lights and my light was green. Speed was 65 through there and I missed them by mere inches. Only because I put my steer tire off the left shoulder nearly rolling the truck.

Called in to the pd and told them and the response was " they do it all the time but you can't write a ticket to someone without a license or photo I'd".

 

Yeah that's sad. I grew up with Amish neighbors in Lancaster County, PA. They lead such a simple honest life free from the hustle and bustle of today yet still get caught up in it. It didn't matter what part of the country I was in. I knew where the Amish communities were and was always on the look out for a buggy.

If you can't see that doesn't mean you guess. Perhaps the blindness was compounded by not cleaning his windshield? This will eat at him the rest of his life.

They do have lights in PA. For many years it was a red farm triangle then PA made them put taillights and turn signals on them. Them horses pretty much know their way home. They really don't control the reins.

 

I always plan for the unexpended especially traveling thru amish country.Amish should always make sure they have full charged batteries.They have to know how dangerous it is on the roads.I have read more stories where the amish got killed by a semi.

 

Even if I was found not guilty,no way could I go back to driving.