2 dead and others injured in car vs. buggy crash in Fillmore County
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(ABC 6 News) – It was a sad scene north of Spring Valley on County Road 1 Monday morning. Both locals and officials said this accident highlights a growing problem of drivers not paying close enough attention to their surroundings.
Amish horses and buggies on the road are a normal sight, said residents of Fillmore County.
“You know if there’s room, I’ll maneuver any direction I need to avoid anything potentially hazardous,” said a Spring Valley resident.
But on Monday one driver did not take the same care. According to the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, a car hit a horse-drawn buggy with four people inside. The crash killed two, and the horse while injuring the other two.
RELATED: 2 killed, 2 hospitalized after crash involving Amish buggy in Fillmore County
Both locals and officials said this accident highlights a growing problem of drivers not paying close enough attention to their surroundings.
“They’re our neighbors and if they’re on the road they are coming to do business with us. We just have to watch out drive slowly,” said Spring Valley resident Julie Broadwater. “Highway 1 is a curvy road; a lot of areas are no passing zones. It’s just something we all have to be more aware of.”
Fillmore County has a high Amish population. Many signs warn drivers of buggies taking the same roads as vehicles.
“The signs are there. Like all of our signs they have a purpose. They are there to alert you that it is a slower moving, it is a different type of vehicle,” said MnDOT Director of Public Engagement and Communications Mike Dougherty.
Locals like Broadwater say a lot of out-of-towners travel that road and may not be aware of the dangers of County Road 1.
“Some people don’t know we have Amish in our community, and I think since they redid the road a couple years ago there’s a lot less traffic on [Route] 63. I think that road has gotten busier,” said Broadwater.
The two other people from the buggy were sent to the hospital. With their condition not publicly available at this time.
The vehicle’s driver was not transported to the hospital. The Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office did not confirm any charges or citations in this case.