Sadness, But No Surprise in Wake of Fatal Crash at Alstede's

It was a perfect storm that no one wishes to endure, but could see coming from miles away.

Columbus Day weekend in Chester Borough and Chester Township has long been known as one of the busiest of the year, with visitors coming from as far as New York and Pennsylvania to take in the bucolic settings and scenery as well as patronize local farm stands and boutique shops.

Events have grown each year, and the tourists have flocked in for the fun. But Sunday, Oct. 12, was different. A shuttle-bus crash killed a 2-year-old child, Elizabeth Fuehring, and injured two adults, including her mother, Sarah, who sustained a broken femur.

The incident occurred in one of the parking areas on the property of Alstede Farms on Rt. 510 in Chester Township. The farm, which has grown exponentially in recent years, offers a range of produce and pumpkin-picking attractions, but has plenty of non-traditional farm stand offerings, such as inflatable bounce houses and horseback rides.

Because of its variety of amusements, Alstede Farms regularly sees thousands of cars and tens of thousands of customers on a given weekend in the fall.

In 2013, Chester residents put their collective feet down, seeking help from the town – and from Alstede himself – to alleviate some of the traffic conditions his business was causing.

It began when a resident, Stephanie Dunshee, posted a blog on Mendham-Chester Patch on Oct. 14, 2013, explaining her disgust with the traffic that clogs the town’s roadways on fall weekends.

“This isn’t an opinion letter knocking our farmers, agro tourism, or nuisance traffic. I am a concerned borough resident with real observations about a dangerous traffic situation that is arising with the fall season businesses. I believe that Chester needs to solve this to keep our farmers and businesses successful and ensure public safety,” Dunshee said in the post.

After some discussion with the township and local police, Alstede told Patch last fall he was going to change the traffic patterns for the 2014 season.

He did just that, paying for and creating a left turn lane into the farm stand for motorists coming from the east. Once high season approached in September, the westbound lane was coned off to create a segregated left lane and give passing motorists a single lane on the right to continue westbound. Two off-duty police officers were also on the county roadway directing traffic around the business. Inside, Alstede hired a private company to enforce parking and security measures for the season.

None of it mattered Sunday, though, when a shuttle bus allegedly rear-ended a similar vehicle as a family walked between the two, killing Elizabeth Fuehring.

The parking lot on Alstede’s property was filled to the brim, thanks to the owner’s goings-on as well as the Harvest Fest in town. The sheer volume resulted in traffic lines backed up for miles in both directions, no one being turned away.

Residents of Chesterfield Drive, the cul-de-sac development directly across the street from the business, said the situation was tragic, but was not surprising, considering the history of traffic issues at the farm.

“[Alstede] continues to discuss the upside that his business brings to the town and surrounding businesses,” resident Andrew O’Connor said Sunday night. “But he’s unwilling to address the downside it brings. I’m afraid to let my two children play in our driveway because there are so many people coming up our road and turning around.”

Is Right to Farm Wrong?

In a late-night interview just outside the farm stand Sunday, Chester Township Mayor Bill Cogger told Patch “[Alstede] has spent a lot of money trying to make the traffic coming from each direction better for this season. But under the Right to Farm Act, he’s allowed to use his land for the purposes of farming and attractions.”

Cogger added that the township’s hands are tied when it comes to restrictions on zoning and planning for the business because of the Right to Farm Act. The Act, established a few decades ago, allows any farm business in New Jersey that generates annual revenues in excess of $10,000 to use the land for agricultural and entertainment purposes.

Long Valley resident and Washington Township Committeeman Bill Roehrich, who comes from a history of local farmers and has spent time on the county’s agricultural board, said it may be time for reform.

“What happened Sunday is an unfortunate accident, of course,” Roehrich told Patch Monday. “But I think it’s going to draw this issue to the forefront, and the Right to Farm folks are going to address it.”

Roehrich said the current regulations under the Act are amendable but would need to go through a state legislature process.

“Does [Right to Farm Act] need to be reviewed? Yes, it does,” Roehrich said. “We need to give farmers an opportunity to have a business, but protection for the people needs to be there.”

A spokesperson for Kurt Alstede said he would not be available for comment Monday, but released a short statement in regard to the tragedy:

“The Alstede family and staff grieve and mourn for the families impacted by the motor vehicle accident that occurred on Sunday, October 12, 2014,” the statement read. “Our sincere prayers and heartfelt thoughts are extended to everyone involved.”

The statement went on to explain that no further comments would be made as the accident is still under investigation.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is expected to release more information about the crash on Tuesday.

See All of Patch’s Coverage of the Alstede Farm Tragedy:

• UPDATE: One Dead, Several Injured in Alstede Farms Car Crash, Prosecutor Says
• UPDATE: Girl, 2, Died In Tragic Alstede Farm Crash While ‘Enjoying The Day;’ 2 Adults Injured
• Father of Toddler Killed at Alstede Farms: ‘I Lost a Piece of Me’
• Readers React, Lash Out at Farmer After Toddler Killed By Shuttle Bus
• Sadness, But No Surprise in Wake of Fatal Crash at Alstede’s

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Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Chester Volunteer Fire Department hung an American Flag to honor the victims of Sunday’s incident.