The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash Wednesday that killed three Amish children riding in a horse-drawn cart on their way to school.
Police say the two-wheel cart was hit from behind by a Mercedes driven by a 17-year-old female. Killed instantly were the cart’s driver, 13-year-old Glenda Jo Yoder, and her brothers, 10-year-old Darrell and 9-year-old Devon.
Sheriff Matthew Hassel declined to discuss details because he says the department is still reconstructing the crash scene. But Hassel said the crash has hit the small Bremen community hard.
"This is quite a shock to our entire community, a travesty," Hassel says. "You lose three young lives, it's just terrible, especially for the families that are involved."
Hassel says it’s not uncommon to see Amish children driving buggies and carts on roads. There is no minimum age for driving them under Indiana law.
The tragedy has sparked a debate on local social media between people saying children should not be driving buggies or carts on public roads. Others have countered that the victims’ ages are irrelevant.
"We have a lot of Amish traffic, which moves at quite a slower pace," Hassel says. "It's just everybody, all around, needs to use more caution, be more alert, and be more patient."
