IRONTON, Wisconsin – A truck driven by an elderly man crashed into the back of an Amish buggy the morning of July 15, killing the young female driver.
According to a press release from the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, the dispatch center received a call around 8:15 a.m. for the report of a crash on Highway 58 near Rabuck Road in the township of Ironton. The 81-year-old driver of a 2025 Ford F350 pulling a gooseneck dump trailer was driving northbound on Hwy. 58 when he crashed into the northbound Amish buggy and its horse.
The female driver of LaValle, died at the scene and the horse appeared to be uninjured. The buggy was outfitted with lights and a slow-moving vehicle sign. The victim was also wearing a high-visibility reflective vest, said Sauk County Field Services Capt. Mike Burch.
Lois Lautenbach, a driver for the Amish community where the accident happened, posted on Facebook that the young victim was nearly to her driveway when the crash occurred.
The highway was closed for several hours while deputies investigated the scene of the crash. The names of those involved are being withheld at this time.
There have been at least four fatal crashes involving Amish buggies in the past five years, according to news reports. In 2021, a minivan rear-ended an Amish buggy traveling in Grant County, killing two people, including a child. In November 2021, a vehicle struck an Amish buggy from behind in Taylor County, injuring nine occupants; the mother later died from her injuries, according to the Wausau Pilot. In June 2023, a semi-truck struck an Amish buggy near Darlington, killing the 19-year-old female driver and the horse. Last year, an SUV struck a horse-drawn carriage from behind in Manitowoc County, killing the 27-year-old male driver and injuring his passenger.
Under Wisconsin law, an animal-drawn vehicle must have: one white light visible from 500 feet to the front during darkness or inclement weather, two red lights visible from 500 feet to the rear, mounted to show the vehicle’s width, two yellow or amber strobe lights visible from 500 feet to the rear, mounted near the outer edges of the buggy and a slow-moving emblem displayed on the rear whenever the buggy is on a highway, day or night.
While Wisconsin’s equipment requirements are often cited as among the more stringent in Amish-populated states, fatal crashes that still occur are overwhelmingly rear-end collisions, many caused by driver speed and distraction.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin State Farmer: Young Amish teen killed when truck rear-ends buggy in Sauk County
Reporting by Colleen Kottke, Wisconsin State Farmer / Wisconsin State Farmer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Colleen Kottke, Wisconsin State Farmer | USA TODAY Network
