Amish Buggy Accident Leaves Mother and Daughter Dead; Public Asks for Prayers (VIDEO)
A buggy crash in northwestern Pennsylvania left two dead this weekend, including an 11-year-old girl. The victims died of blunt force trauma, and State Police are still investigating the collision between the buggy and a semi-truck.
Mary Byler, 34, and her husband, William, 35, were in the buggy at the time of the accident; she was accompanied by her 11-year-old daughter, whose name has been withheld. Mary and her daughter passed away due to injuries after their buggy collided with a semi-truck. Coroner Brad McGonigle told the Associated Press the cause of death for both was blunt force trauma. Unfortunately, due to the severity of injuries, the family's horse also had to be euthanized.
The driver of the semi, Matthew Coulter, 36, survived but his condition was unknown at press time. The Pennsylvania Amish community to which the Bylers belonged is now mourning the death of two of their own. Buggy and vehicle collisions are not uncommon in Amish communities, where buggies are the main means of travel. Too often, "outside" vehicles unused to sharing the road with buggies are either driven too fast or some other incident occurs that leads to a serious accident.
Some reports state that due to sun glare, Coulter was unable to see the buggy and ended up hitting it from behind. Whatever the cause, people are grieving and trying not to point blame; the Amish community does not believe in blaming people for accidents but instead focuses on honoring the dead and God with their service.
"I am sure whatever happened, the truth will come out. How about instead of pointing blame everyone says a prayer for the family and their friends of those who passed away from this tragic event instead. Let them rest in peace," posted WKBN reader VP Shelton.
"We need to pray for all of them, even the driver of the truck. The Amish would want that," added reader Casey.
Watch a report of the incident HERE:
