Three Amish children were killed on their way to school when an SUV crashed into their horse-drawn buggy in Indiana.
Siblings Glenda Jo Yoder, 13, Darrell Yoder, 10, and Devon Yoder, 9, were thrown from the carriage when a Mercedes-Benz GLA rear-ended it Wednesday morning in the rural town of Bremen, about 20 miles south of South Bend, WIBC reported.
The siblings all died at the scene, according to the Marshall County coroner’s office.
The 17-year-old driver of the car was not injured.
A medical helicopter and an accident reconstructionist were at the scene, according to local reports.
Neighbors said they would see the children traveling by cart to school every morning, picking other kids up along the way.
“They just pick each other up and ride together,” one resident, identified as Katie, told WSBT 22 the day of the crash. “I saw three of them sitting at the intersection of Fifth and Fir this morning waiting for their friends that were in the accident.”
The woman said she sees a lot of car and buggy accidents and that there needs to be more awareness by drivers about the buggies on the road.
The horses sometimes get spooked “and almost jump into your lane,” she said.
Per tradition, many Amish people drive buggies instead of cars. In Indiana, there is no age limit on operating the traditional form of transportation.
The state is home to more than 63,000 Amish people, and their community has been growing faster than the general population, leading to even more buggies on the road — and more accidents, the Kansas City Star reported.
“Compared to motor vehicle incidents, these collisions result in a disproportionate number of fatalities,” a Purdue University study in 2021 found.
In nearly 67% of the buggy and car collisions reported that year, those that died were under the age of 21.
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