Two people were hurt Thursday afternoon when a buggy-involved crash struck State Route 73 near Ballentine Road, just south of Hillsboro. A 16-year-old boy was flown to the hospital, while a man was taken to a medical facility by ambulance.
The crash details come from WKRC, which reported that the crash occurred on the stretch of SR-73 near Ballentine Road in Highland County. The outlet noted that both Highland and Adams counties have Amish and Mennonite communities, but authorities did not say whether either person injured in the crash belonged to either faith.
No further details about the circumstances of the crash, the condition of those hurt, or the buggy itself have been released. The same report noted that agencies have warned drivers to exercise caution because of buggies on the road, a reminder that carries extra weight in a region where horse-drawn travel is part of daily life.
A Recurring Hazard on Ohio's Rural Routes
Crashes involving horse-drawn vehicles are not rare on Ohio's state routes. A study examined by The Columbus Dispatch found more than 700 reported crashes involving a horse-drawn vehicle on Ohio's state routes between 2009 and 2018. About 65% of those collisions happened while a vehicle was passing a buggy, according to the same findings.
The Dispatch also cited a survey of more than 1,200 members of Ohio Amish communities, in which respondents most often pointed to aggressive motor-vehicle drivers as their top concern, followed by navigating hills or curves and sharing the road with truck traffic. In response to such safety concerns, state Rep. Scott Wiggam and Rep. Darrell Kick introduced a bill in February 2020 that would have required a flashing light on horse-drawn vehicles, per the Dispatch's reporting.
Other Recent Buggy Crashes Around the Region
The Hillsboro-area crash is not the only recent incident involving a buggy in southern Ohio. In Ashland County, a 2014 Ford Explorer struck an Amish buggy; neither driver was hurt, but the horse suffered several lacerations, according to Cleveland 19 News. That report said the Explorer had been following too close and that the Ohio State Highway Patrol was still investigating.
Highland County itself has seen tragedy on its roads before. A separate horse-and-buggy crash on U.S. Route 50 near State Route 753 in Paint Township killed the buggy operator and sent two passengers, ages 17 and 2, to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to WLWT. Ohio's Dispatch-cited study also identified U.S. Route 42 in Ashland County, between State Route 604 and the Wayne County border, as the deadliest stretch recorded in that research, with two fatal buggy accidents.
No additional information has been released about the condition of the teen and man injured in Thursday's crash near Hillsboro, nor about what led up to the collision. Authorities have not indicated whether any citations are expected.
