Truck Fails To Yield, Collides With Horse Drawn-Buggy: MSP

TODD COUNTY, MN — A teen and a 20-year-old were injured in north-central Minnesota after their horse-drawn buggy was hit by a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado. The crash occurred just before 7 a.m. Tuesday in Little Sauk Township.

Both the Silverado and the horse-drawn buggy were westbound on Highway 27. The Silverado failed to yield for the slower-moving Buggy and rear-ended it, according to the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP).

Both buggy occupants Eli J Yoder, 20, and Dan J Yoder, 16, suffered non-life threatening injuries. They were treated at St. Cloud Hospital and Long Prairie Hospital, respectively.

The driver of the Silverado, Joseph Michael Cecko, 35, of Little Falls was not injured in the crash. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Sharing the road

Driving in Amish communities is different than driving on other rural or urban highways. In Amish communities you will see horse-drawn buggies or equipment on the roadway as they travel to town or the fields.

Normal speeds for horse-drawn buggies range between five and eight miles per hour. Horse-drawn vehicles may be even slower when pulling large farm equipment or when crossing intersections because horses are not tractors or cars and will eventually become tired.

Another hazard to consider is restricted vision from the driver of the horse-drawn vehicle.

When pulling large loads of hay or other equipment, drivers may not be able to see cars behind them. Car drivers, therefore, need to be extra cautious when passing horse-drawn farm equipment. To avoid other possible collisions, car drivers should anticipate left hand turns made by horse-drawn vehicles into fields and driveways.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Mike Groll