A tractor hauling a hayride wagon packed with 19 people, most of them children, flipped Sunday afternoon near Wellsburg, New York, sending riders flying from the trailer and leaving three people in critical condition. The crash happened around 4:38 p.m. at the intersection of Berwick Turnpike and Comfort Hill Road, just shy of the New York-Pennsylvania border.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said the tractor was barreling down Comfort Hill Road toward Main Street at a high rate of speed before the wreck, according to mytwintiers.com. As The New York Times reported, the sheriff said the tractor appeared out of control, and the driver swerved to the right at the intersection, a move that caused the tractor to begin rolling. The wagon separated from the tractor in the process, ejecting the people riding in it, most of whom were children, per the Times.
The tractor itself rolled, pinning the driver underneath and dragging him several yards before it came to rest against a tree, the same mytwintiers.com report states. The group had set out from Robinson Road and was identified as belonging to a German Baptist community, according to the outlet.
Scope of the Injuries
At least 14 people were injured in the crash, according to wtnh.com. Of those, 14 were treated at the scene, five were transported by ambulance to Robert Packer Hospital, and one person was airlifted to a hospital, per the mytwintiers.com account. The Times separately reported that at least five other people were taken by ambulance to medical facilities, while about eight more were driven by friends or family rather than emergency crews.
Three people were in critical condition following the rollover, the same local report notes. The Times put the number of people seriously injured at a minimum of six.
A Quick Response From Nearby Crews
Sheriff Schrom told the Times that a lieutenant happened to be nearby and witnessed the crash unfold. He also said a volunteer fire department was situated close to the scene, which allowed first responders to react quickly. “There was a volunteer fire department nearby so everyone reacted quickly, but it didn't look good for a few of the people who left here,” Schrom said, according to the Times.
Wellsburg sits near the New York-Pennsylvania border, and the Times reported the tractor had been pulling roughly 20 people at the time of the crash, a figure close to the 19 cited by mytwintiers.com. The Times article was reported by Benjamin Oreskes, who covers New York State politics and government for the paper.
Hayride Risks Have Surfaced Before
Hayride-related injuries are not unheard of elsewhere. In 2023, a 14-year-old worker was critically injured after being dragged under a hayride tractor at Seven Cedars Farm in Smithfield, Rhode Island, while working as an actor on a haunted hayride tour, according to bostonglobe.com. That tractor was carrying about 30 people when the girl became caught under the trailer's back wheels and was taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital in critical condition, per the same report.
Hayride safety guidance from GuideOne Insurance recommends inspecting tractors, wagons, and the connections between them before each ride, including confirming that a backup safety chain is in place in case a primary hitch fails. It remains unclear whether any equipment failure contributed to Sunday's crash in Wellsburg, and no additional details about the cause have been released beyond the sheriff's account of the tractor's speed and the driver's swerve.
