Will charges be filed? Discussion held after Amish buggy accident

Charges are pending after Sunday night’s Amish buggy accident in Cumberland County. Virginia State Police officials said after consulting with Cumberland Commonwealth’s Attorney Wendy Hannah, discussions continue on the subject.

As of Monday afternoon, we also have more information about what caused the accident and what happened afterward. According to Matthew Demlein, Public Relations Manager for the Virginia State Police (VSP), a Ford F250 pickup truck was traveling southbound on Cumberland Road when it struck a horse-drawn Amish buggy in the rear of the vehicle.

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 suffered 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 crash, which happened just before 7 p.m.

Amish buggy accident an ongoing issue

This marks the latest in a series of Amish buggy accidents. Before this, the last one took place on Thursday, April 18 in Buckingham County. The horse in that case was spooked by the revving engine of a passing car. The buggy flipped, injuring a young girl. The majority of accidents involving Amish buggies, however, tend to happen because another driver turns a curve at a high rate of speed and doesn’t see the buggy until it’s too late.

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

The bill, which sailed through both chambers of legislature without a single vote in opposition, also allows animal-drawn vehicles to use a reflector of a type, size and color approved by the Virginia State Police superintendent to be permanently affixed to the rear and front of such vehicles in lieu of or in addition to the lights.

Many Amish families in the area have gone beyond the initial requirement, adding amber lights and reflective tape to their buggy.

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