A truck struck a van carrying 10 Amish people, leaving six individuals dead. This horrific accident happened in Gilford Township, Michigan, on Tuesday, August 12, according to the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office in a press release.
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Pickup Truck Runs Stop Sign And Hits Van, Killing 6 Passengers
The two vehicles collided at the intersection of Vassar Road and Fairgrove Road. A pickup truck carrying 3 individuals was traveling southbound, failing to stop at a stop sign. Traveling west was a van carrying 10 occupants, right when the truck ran the stop sign.
“Multiple passengers were ejected from the van and the pickup,” wrote the press release. “At this time there are 6 confirmed fatalities and the condition of the additional patients is unknown.”
According to ABC 12, five of the Amish members and one person from the pickup truck died. Six other individuals were rushed to local hospitals for medical treatment. There was only one person from the accident who didn’t need a hospital.
Tuscola County Undersheriff Bob Baxter recalled how intense crash scenes like that are. “The scenes like that are pretty chaotic at first,” said Baxter.
He also noted how determining the identities of the Amish people who perished was difficult. “With this particular case we are dealing with, people don’t have IDs or don’t carry IDs,” he said.
“The investigation is still going, we are still trying to determine identities, as well drivers, where people were sitting.”
A Loss For The Amish Community
Although we don’t have confirmation of the victims’ ages, reports say the Amish victims were mainly in their 60s. Meanwhile, the deceased individual from the pickup truck was around 44 years old.
ABC 12 also spoke with Rita Hanby, someone who often provides rides for the Amish alongside her husband. “They are friends, they are in our community, they are some of the most generous, caring people you would ever meet,” said Hanby.
Although the Amish community often uses a horse and buggy for travel, farther trips require some help. “If it’s farther than the horse would take them, then sometimes they will call and ask if we can give them a ride,” she explained.
“My husband and I are both retired. We enjoy these people. They are our friends.” Hanby then described the crash as “a sad tragedy” for the community.