Three Amish children died on Wednesday after thehorse-drawn buggythey were riding in was involved in a fatal crash on a Michigan highway.
Shortly after 3:00 p.m., local authorities responded to a 911 call “reporting a motor vehicle/horse drawn vehicle crash,” according to anews releasefrom the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office.
After arriving at the scene, authorities found that a car had crashed into the rear of the buggy, which was carrying four children, siblings aged 6-13 from a local family.
Three of the children were found dead at the scene, while a fourth child was “seriously injured” and transported to a local hospital. PEOPLE can confirm that the fourth child, a 6-year-old boy who experienced leg and head injuries, is currently in stable condition.
“It is difficult to find words to describe this horrific tragedy. Our hearts and prayers go out to the parents who are enduring such unimaginable loss and grief, and also to their extended family and close community,” Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich said in a statement.
“Our Victim Advocates are assisting the family, and we will continue to provide our support and resources. We grieve with them,” he added.
The names of all of those involved in the accident have yet to be released.
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Jerri Nesbit of the sheriff’s office told PEOPLE on Friday that the injured child is “recovering well.”
“He had a good night and is remaining in stable condition,” she said.
Nesbit added that the driver of the other vehicle, who was transported to a local hospital “for evaluation,” was not found to “have any serious injuries.”
“We don’t know anything about charges — the investigation is still open,” she said, explaining that after the investigation was over, the findings would go to the prosecutor’s office, which would make a determination whether to file charges.
“A lot of the children ride their buggies to and from school, as well as adults coming in to the town,” Reich told theTimes. “That’s their main source of getting around.”
The sheriff went on to note that local residents “need to be more cognizant there will be buggies out there.”
Michigan has the sixth largest Amish populationin the United States, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College.
Other states with a high number of Amish residents include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and New York.
This is the second buggy crash in the state in 2019 involving multiple fatalities, according to theLansing State Journal.
Citing state police, theLansing State Journalreported that prior to Wednesday, there had been 18 crashes this year alone which involved horse-drawn carriages.
source: people.com
