Photos shared by authorities show that the horse-drawn buggy was totaled, was missing wheels and rolled over onto the side of the road
Credit: Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- An Amish boy was seriously injured and a horse died after the carriage he was driving was struck by an SUV in Michigan
- Police said the boy was pulling out of a driveway in Beaverton Township when a Buick Enclave crashed into his carriage
- “Deputies believed the child controlling the horse-drawn buggy did not see the involved vehicle” due to vegetation at the end of the driveway, the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office said
An 11-year-old Amish boy was seriously injured and a horse died after his horse-drawn carriage was struck by a car in Michigan.
According to the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office, the boy was operating the horse-drawn buggy in Beaverton Township, a rural area in the state's lower Peninsula, just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10.
Investigators shared that the buggy was turning onto the township's McCulloch Road from a home's driveway when both the carriage and horse were struck by a Buick Enclave, driven by a 79-year-old woman.
Credit: Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
"Due to vegetation at the end of the driveway near the roadway, deputies believed the child controlling the horse-drawn buggy did not see the involved vehicle traveling northbound on McCulloch Rd. and pulled out of the driveway in front of the vehicle," the sheriff's office said.
Photos shared by authorities show that the buggy was totaled, was missing wheels and rolled over onto the side of the road, while the Buick's front was smashed in and its windshield shattered.
The boy, who authorities said is Amish, sustained serious injuries in the crash and was taken via ambulance to a hospital in Midland, located about 30 miles away from the crash site.
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The woman driving the Buick was taken to a hospital in nearby Gladwin for non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office added.
The horse did not survive. Authorities did not share whether the horse died in the crash or was euthanized due to its injuries.
In addition to the Gladwin County Sheriff's Office, Beaverton Fire and Rescue and MyMichigan Ambulance Service also assisted at the scene.
MLive reported last year that while there is no national database that tracks Amish carriage crashes, data from the Michigan State Police shows that the 2025 was the more dangerous year to date for vehicle-buggy incidents. At least four deadly crashes took place that year, and several others were seriously injured in these types of crashes.
State police said that Amish buggies — as well as farm vehicles like tractors — are considered slowmoving vehicles (SMVs) as they usually operate at less than 25 miles per hour.
"Be prepared to slow down if you come upon any vehicle — including an Amish buggy — displaying the reflective orange and red SMV triangle sign," according to Michigan State Police. "Do not try to pass these vehicles or buggies unless you can see the road is clear of oncoming traffic."
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