An 8-year-old girl is dead and her 12-year-old brother is in critical condition following a crash between an SUV and an Amish buggy Wednesday morning in Van Buren County.
Michigan State Police Lieutenant DuWayne Robinson tells us it happened on County Road 215 near 60th Avenue in Lawrence Township around 8 a.m. The SUV rear-ended the northbound buggy.
Robinson says drivers need to be aware of an increasing number of Amish residents in Southwest Michigan.
“The community is growing and expanding in southwest Michigan, Van Buren County, Cass County, and I’m hearing they’re even in Berrien County,” Robinson said. “So, one thing that people need to keep in mind is that the speed limits are there for a reason. So, if we could just be mindful of our speed so that we can slow down when we need to when we come up on situations like a slower moving vehicle.”
A driver approaching a horse-drawn buggy from behind will see the distance between their vehicle and the buggy disappear quite quickly. Robinson says that’s why everyone should obey speed limits and pay attention to what’s up ahead of them.
The horse pulling the buggy was killed. The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries and her two passengers were unhurt. The driver of the SUV has been identified as a 31-year-old Mattawan woman who was arrested and lodged in the Van Buren County Jail on a charge of operating under the influence of an unknown substance.
