MARTINSBURG — A mother and two children were injured Thursday morning south of Martinsburg when the Amish buggy they were traveling in was struck from behind by a car, causing the buggy to overturn.
According to Trooper M.P. Whims of the Mount Gilead Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 40-year-old Nancy Miller of Utica was driving the buggy on Ohio 586 when a Ford Taurus, driven by Utica resident Michelle Pipes, 40, rear-ended the buggy.
The trooper estimated Pipes was traveling around 55 miles per hour when her vehicle struck the buggy traveling about three to five miles per hour.
Whims said Miller sustained some serious lacerations, but escaped more traumatic injuries. Her 9-month-old son, John, was seated on the lap of his 13-year-old sister, Elizabeth, when the buggy overturned. “She was holding on to the baby really good,” Whims said of the older child’s actions.
Both John and his mother were transported by the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department squad to Knox Community Hospital where they were treated for scrapes and cuts and released. Pipes and a female passenger, who were both wearing safety belts, were not injured.
Elizabeth was able to return home with only minor injuries without hospital treatment according to Bladensburg Fire Chief Nick Cockrell.
Pipes was charged with failure to maintain an assured clear distance.
Whims said drivers in the area south of Martinsburg frequently encounter buggies. “[Ohio] 586 is pretty well known for buggy accidents,” he said. “People need to slow down and be aware that they’re in the area.”
