9 injured when vehicle rear-ends Amish buggy in Wisconsin

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Associated Press

9 injured when vehicle rear-ends Amish buggy in Wisconsin

46 minutes ago

LITTLE BLACK, Wis. (AP) — Nine people were injured in north-central Wisconsin when a vehicle rear-ended an Amish buggy at “highway speeds,” authorities said.

The crash was reported about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in the town of Little Black, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Ten people were in the buggy as it headed north on a county road.

The release said eight of the nine people injured had “significant injuries” and were transported for medical care. Their conditions are not known.

The 35-year-old driver of the vehicle is being held in the Taylor County Jail on suspicion of operating under the influence of a controlled substance and inattentive driving, authorities said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-5b22beddc11e165b76a7247f3beb4166

---

Nine people were injured when a vehicle rear-ended an Amish buggy at “highway speeds" in Wisconsin. Authorities say 10 people were in the buggy as it headed north on a county road. The 35-year-old driver of the vehicle is being held in jail.

Link to tweet

[LakeArenal]

1. Geez. If one lives on Amish country you better learn to accommodate buggies.

Really tragic. Wis has sooo many habitual drunk drivers.

Side note: We saw an article:

80 Drunkest Counties in the US.

41...That’s FORTY ONE of those drunkest counties are in Wis.

[catrose]

9. Dang, Wisconsin. The rest were in the North,

Mostly Iowa. And none in Louisiana, which amazes me.

[ShazzieB]

14. That IS amazing!

I always thought New Orleans was one of the drunkest places on earth. But maybe that's just during Mardi Gras.

[TexasBushwhacker]

21. It's one thing to drink. It's another to drink and drive

Maybe that's what Louisiana has going for it - the good sense to not drive drunk.

[Progressive Jones]

12. Alcoholism is a very popular sport in Wisconsin. nt

[Deuxcents]

2. WTH is going on in WI?

[Gore1FL]

5. I saw this thread and came to post the same inquiry. nt

[John Ludi]

4. I live in one of the areas of WI

with a lot of Amish and I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often than it does. Amish driving buggies in the dark on hills on the highways combined with drunken rednecks and/or tweakers driving like maniacs is a recipe for disaster in these parts.

[MichMan]

6. This incident occurred at 245 pm

We are quite a few Amish in our area, but I usually see them at Walmart after riding in a car with someone

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

36. I used to live in central Wisconsin, where there are plenty of Amish.

We all know those black buggies with the orange and red triangles on the back. When those triangles were introduced, there was serious discussion among the Amish as to whether or not this was "ostentatious decoration". The sensible ones who said, "No, it's a warning sign" won the argument.

[LiberalFighter]

7. I wasn't aware of Amish in Wisconsin.

On edit. I found Wisconsin is 4th in the country with Amish. Despite that three locations mentioned are areas my relatives/ancestors lived and the research I have done for genealogy I never encountered mention of them. The religion of those relatives consisted of either the German Refomed Church or Lutheran.

[Luciferous]

10. Yeah, there are quite a few up in northern Wisconsin.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

37. The Amish are a branch of the Mennonites.

Who themselves are a branch of the Anabaptists.

I think of them as like the Hassidic Jews -- a group who, for religious reasons, reject as much of the modern world as they can.

You would almost certainly not find them in your genealogical investigations. Again, like the Hassidim, over 99% of the Amish are the children of Amish parents. Both the Amish and the Hassidim don't marry outside the religion. Indeed, there is a controversy as to whether or not the Amish are an ethnic group.

BTW, my mother's family are all Ashkenazic Jews, albeit not Hassidim.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. Do Wisconsin Amish use lights on their buggies?

Here in NE Ohio they finally decided about 20 years ago that tail lights were lifesavers. The churches all got together and opted for SMV placards and red tail lights and even turn signals on some. There are still fatal mishaps now and then, but it's so much better now.

[John Ludi]

26. SOME

in WI. It's either those or the reflective triangles around here.

[RandySF]

11. It's fast becoming the Florida of the Midwest.

[Progressive Jones]

16. Many of us Northern Illinoisans are starting to stay out of there.

Southern Wisconsin makes big dollars off of Illinois vacationers, hunters, et al.

That cash cow will be drying up.

[DJDog]

18. Pretty sure fewer

FIBs and FISH will not bother the majority of Cheeseheads!

[Progressive Jones]

19. No doubt, but there's another reason to stay away. nt

[John Ludi]

27. I'm hoping

to relocate at some point in the near future.

[marble falls]

13. How's the horse?

[doc03]

15. In Ohio the Amish have replaced about all their bicycles with e-bikes. I asked a Amish gentleman

how they charge them and he said all the farms have solar panels or generators. So if they can have
electric bicycles why not do away with the buggies and have electric cars? According to him is is OK to use
solar panels, hydro power, wind power or a generator it comes from god. They don't believe in connecting
to the power grid. I haven't seen them driving electric cars but why not?

[LakeArenal]

17. First and foremost the Amish are businesspeople.

Yes the religious thing but it’s all centered on business.

Saying that, different groups of Amish have great differences in what exactly is correct.

I had a personal friend who owns the Grand River Greenhouse.

The link is a map of many of the Amish Businesses just in my area of WI.

https://portagewi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/amish-map.pdf

[doc03]

20. If they got rid of their buggies it would effect their tourist business. It seems

like sometimes their business interest overrides their religious beliefs. Same names as the Ohio Amish
Yoder, Hershburger, Mullet, Miller, Weaver

[LiberalFighter]

29. Some of my ancestors settled in what was called Salemville.

Right off of Inglehart Rd. They were not Amish. They came from Hesse.

For reference point that area consists of the counties of Columbia, Green Lake, and Dodge.

[LakeArenal]

30. Well I lived in Marquette.

[stopdiggin]

33. you're exactly right. there are differences

from place to place, and order (or sect) to order. And there are also adaptations and concessions that appear over time. Transportation, telephones, electricity (and some machinery) - all of these have acquired some (varied) degree of acceptance and adoption over the past generation or two.

Some people charge hypocrisy - but in my opinion this is precisely what you're probably going to observe in other groupings of people - religious or otherwise. Just solid group behavior and social dynamics. After all, why should I be casting stones at the Amish for 'picking and choosing' - when the Catholics (and everyone else) have been quite open about it for hundreds of years?

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

38. I once saw a documentary about a barn raising in an Amish community.

A barn had burned down, and the Amish community came to build a new one. I was fascinated by one man using a chainsaw, and it was obvious that he was quite experienced in its use.

[stopdiggin]

40. there are all sorts of caveats (large and small)

which seem quite strange (perhaps contradictory) to the outsider. But, like I said, to me no more contradictory than a whole host of 'adaptations' or pick and choose behaviors among denominations and religions around the world.

Your practice or belief - and I guess that gives you the right to decide how it works.

[C Moon]

23. Nice!

[Aristus]

22. Shit. Now they're going after the Amish!

Wisconsin has gone crazy...

[C Moon]

24. Holiday drunk driving, it sounds like.

[KentuckyWoman]

25. It happens too often

Add in how many people riding bikes, or walking get picked off by inattentive or inconsiderate drivers.

DOT workers, police, those highway help drivers too. I don't know how to get people to stop over-estimating their driving ability and slow down, pay attention etc.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

28. I walk occasionally doing local errands like going to the grocery store.

And I NEVER, EVER walk with my back to oncoming traffic.

[Coventina]

31. No word in the article about the condition of the horse.

But I suspect it's not good.

[Peregrine Took]

32. I noticed that too.

[stopdiggin]

34. horrifying. so, so sorry for that family -(nt)-

[bucolic_frolic]

35. Inattentive driving - see that every day

Driver's watching the hand-held with an occasional glance at the road. A white van package carrier delivery guy leaning over at 70 degrees to his right on the hand-held, or his next delivery/stop driving down the middle of the road. Learn to be on your horns, people. Don't have to blare rudely but a quick toot can alert the driver and prevent an accident with YOU! And notify the driver he needs to pay more attention.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

39. This particular man was arrested for Driving Under the Influence. n/t

[intheflow]

41. He was under the influence of a controlled substance, not alcohol.

I'm guessing meth, heroin, or painkillers, the scourges of middle America along with jingoism, willful ignorance, and O. Maybe it was pot, but most potheads I know drive too slow - and certainly not at highway speeds coming up on an Amish buggy.