Car strikes Amish buggy in The County, 2 injured
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Two members of a northern Maine Amish community were injured when their horse-drawn carriage was struck from behind by a motor vehicle Wednesday evening, according to Presque Isle police. The seriously injured horse was euthanized at the scene.
Naomi Swartzentruver, 44, of Easton and her 10-year-old daughter were heading south in the carriage on the righthand side of Route 10, also known as the Centerline Road, when the accident happened around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Officer Mark Barnes said Friday.
A southbound 2010 Nissan SUV driven by Amanda Durost, 41, of Easton “came up behind the buggy and rammed into the back of it,” Barnes said. “The driver’s attention was not on the road at the time [because] she had just reached to get something.”
The impact pushed the carriage up and over the horse, Barnes said.
Swartzentruver and her daughter were transported by ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center, Barnes said. They were treated for unspecified injuries and released that evening, according to Jason Parent, TAMC spokesman.
The driver of the SUV was not injured, according to Barnes.
Members of the Presque Isle Fire Department responding to the accident were able to lift the damaged carriage off the horse with the help of passers-by, the officer said.
The horse was able to stand, but a veterinarian called to the scene determined the animal had suffered a broken hip and was euthanized on the spot.
Both the carriage and the SUV were towed from the scene, Barnes said.
Durost was summoned for failure to maintain control of her vehicle, he said.
The officer said he did not know how fast Durost was going at the time of the accident, but said the speed limit on that stretch of road is 45 mph.
“I went back and measured, he said. “The accident happened one-tenth of a mile from a sign that says ‘Share the Road’ with an image of a horse and buggy on it.”
