In September 2026, two motor vehicles struck Amish buggies in Northern New York twelve days apart. Four people died — three of them children. If you saw the news and thought “oh no, this again?” — you’re not alone. It keeps happening, every year, on the same kinds of roads, in the same kinds of ways.
This piece pulls together what happened in the recent crashes, what the reports say about why they happen, what New York law actually requires (of buggy drivers and car drivers alike), and what could realistically make the roads safer. It doesn’t assign fault where investigations are still open, and it doesn’t sensationalize. The victims here are overwhelmingly Amish — including kids — and they’re our neighbors.
Published October 1, 2026 · Updated October 13, 2026
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What happened: the recent crashes
September 13, 2026 — Canton, St. Lawrence County. A pickup truck struck an Amish buggy from behind on County Route 25 in the afternoon. Ten people were in the single buggy. Margaret Wagler, 78, of Canton, and her 4-year-old grandson (visiting from Michigan) were killed; eight others were hospitalized, including a 5-year-old girl
and a 35-year-old woman in critical condition. No charges have been filed; the investigation is ongoing.
Update (October 2026): In the weeks after the crash, residents along County Route 25 took their concerns to the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators, asking for shoulder improvements — the steep drop-off from pavement to gravel leaves buggies and cars little room to pull off — and a lower speed limit, particularly near the school. The county has since added gravel to parts of the road, and the Sheriff’s Office has placed two speed radar signs near the crash site to collect speed data before deciding on further steps. (Source: WWNY, “Canton residents want safety changes after deadly Amish buggy crash,” Oct. 12, 2026)
September 25, 2026 — Richland, Oswego County (just across the county line). A van struck two buggies traveling the same direction on County Route 41. Anna Hershberger, 13, and her brother Moses, 7, were killed; seven other children were injured, one critically. There were no adults in either buggy. More than 100 people attended the children’s funeral. No charges have been filed; the investigation is ongoing. The crash renewed local debate about buggy visibility and road safety — Oswego County Legislator Edward Gilson said he plans to pursue legislative action to curb speeding in the area.
These weren’t the first:
- July 2025, Canton — a driver rear-ended a buggy on CR 14, seriously injuring two, then left the scene. She was later charged with felony leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident.
- July 2024, Lowville (Lewis County) — a driver struck a buggy on State Route 12 at dusk and fled. A 17-year-old was killed; four others were hurt. The driver was later arrested on charges including aggravated DWI and vehicular manslaughter.
- December 2023, Oswegatchie (St. Lawrence County) — a pickup driver “failed to observe” a buggy on State Highway 812 at 7 a.m. Abraham Shetler, 21, was killed. The driver was arrested in 2025 on a criminally negligent homicide charge.
- September 2023, Alexandria (Jefferson County) — a pickup rear-ended a buggy on County Route 2. Ananias Slabaugh, 1, and Andy Slabaugh, 3, were killed; four family members were seriously hurt. The driver was charged with negligent homicide; prosecutors alleged she was distracted and speeding.
On fault: where cases were charged, fault was publicly assigned to the motorist — distraction, alcohol, failure to observe the buggy, leaving the scene. In the two September 2026 crashes, fault has not been officially determined. This piece won’t guess.
The pattern: why it keeps happening
Read enough of these reports and the same factors come up again and again:
- Rear-end strikes dominate. In nearly every local case, a motorist hit the buggy from behind — same direction of travel, driver didn’t slow in time.
- The speed differential is brutal. A trotting horse moves 5–10 mph. Traffic moves 55+. As one county legislator put it after the Richland crash: “You come up on buggies going 5 mph and you’re right on top of them.”
- Distraction and impairment. Prosecutors alleged distraction and speeding in the Alexandria case; the Lowville driver was charged with aggravated DWI.
- Hills, curves, and low light. One Jefferson County crash happened just over a hill; others happened at dawn or dusk, when a dark buggy and dark horse are hardest to see. Winter makes it worse — shorter days, worse road conditions.
- Misjudged passing. Drivers pull out to pass without enough sight distance. Researchers note most buggy crashes happen on straight, level roads — consistent with drivers misjudging the pass, not just blind curves.
An honest gap: there is no statewide or tri-county count of buggy crashes over multiple years. Coverage exists as individual incident reports. This article won’t pretend a trend line exists where the data doesn’t — but ask anyone who drives these roads, and the pattern is felt.
What New York law requires right now
Of buggies: Under state regulation (15 NYCRR § 68.8), every animal-drawn vehicle must display on its rear either a slow-moving-vehicle emblem (the fluorescent orange triangle with red reflective border) or a lighted red lantern at least 4 inches across, mounted about 42 inches high near the left edge, plus at least 72 square inches of reflective tape. The lantern-and-tape option exists largely because some Amish groups object to the orange triangle on religious grounds — more on that below.
Of drivers: Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1146-a (“Approaching Horses”) requires every driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a horse being ridden or led on a public highway, approach at a reasonable and prudent speed so as not to frighten the animal, pass at a reasonable distance — and never sound the horn near a horse. Violations carry DMV points and fines.
The gray areas: buggies are legal road users with a right to be there. But operating rules are murky — after the Richland crash, reporters noted they “could not determine whether any local laws restrict minors from driving buggies.” There were no adults in either buggy that day.
A local compromise worth knowing about: around 2015, the Heuvelton Amish community — after a summit arranged by State Senator Patty Ritchie — voluntarily agreed to nearly double the state’s reflective-tape requirement (144 square inches on the rear instead of 72, plus tape on the sides, front, and shafts) with upgraded lantern lenses. Cooperation, not compulsion.
What you can do behind the wheel
- Slow down in signed areas. Those yellow diamond signs with the horse-and-buggy symbol mean buggies are regular traffic here. Treat them like a school zone for your attention.
- Expect 5–10 mph. When you see a buggy ahead, assume it’s barely moving relative to you. Start slowing early.
- Pass only with full visibility. Never on a hill, a curve, or into oncoming traffic you can’t fully see. Give the horse a wide berth — a startled horse can swerve.
- Dawn, dusk, and dark: extra caution. Dim your headlights for buggies; bright lights can blind the horse and the driver.
- Never honk. It’s the law (VTL § 1146-a), and a horn blast next to a horse is dangerous for everyone.
- Don’t tailgate. If the buggy stops or turns unexpectedly, you need the space.
- If you hit a buggy: stop. Leaving the scene of a personal-injury crash is a felony in New York. Call 911 immediately.
Could the laws be stronger?
No current New York State legislation on buggy safety was found in our research — the only pending action is local (an Oswego County legislator pursuing measures against speeding where the Hershberger children died). Other states have gone further, and their approaches are worth knowing about as possibilities:
- Ohio requires a flashing light on buggies at all times, plus reflective tape (law signed 2022).
- Pennsylvania requires flashing amber/red lights for nighttime driving, on top of the SMV emblem.
- Kentucky wrote the religious compromise into law: buggies may carry 196 square inches of silver-gray reflective tape (front, sides, and back) plus two lanterns at night instead of the orange triangle.
- Tennessee is building dedicated buggy lanes on rural roads in one county.
Ideas that could fit Northern New York, offered as starting points rather than demands: building on the Heuvelton voluntary model with a county-endorsed lighting standard; targeted speed enforcement in signed buggy corridors; and driver education — Senator Ritchie’s 2013 ‘Share the Road’ initiative (up to 100 reflective warning signs plus a brochure for new drivers and college students) is the template, and it’s worth asking how many of those signs are still standing.
Two cautions from the research: scholars warn of a “moth effect,” where drivers are drawn toward flashing lights rather than away — more lights aren’t automatically safer. And the Amish perspective, where it’s been stated publicly, is that driver behavior — drugs, alcohol, and phones — is the greatest cause of these crashes, not buggy equipment. Any honest policy conversation has to grapple with both.
The Amish perspective
The Amish community generally avoids publicity, so on-the-record statements are rare. What’s documented: the Heuvelton community’s voluntary safety cooperation; and in Ohio, written testimony from an Amish community member opposing a lighting mandate, arguing that impaired and distracted driving — not buggy visibility — is what kills people. The religious objection to the bright orange SMV triangle (seen by the most conservative groups as a worldly symbol) is real and longstanding, and it’s why the lantern-and-tape alternative exists. Respecting that belief while improving safety is the needle any new proposal has to thread.
The horses
They’re victims too, and they’re often left out of the story. A horse was killed in the 2022 LaFargeville crash; another was so severely injured in the Gouverneur crash that law enforcement euthanized it at the scene. (In at least one case, the horse escaped unhurt.) These are working animals a family depends on — losing one is both an emotional blow and an economic one.
Why this piece exists
Not to alarm you, and not to point fingers while investigations are open. But “oh no, this again” is a terrible feeling to have about something preventable. The crashes follow a pattern, the causes are known, and drivers have more control over the outcome than it might feel like in the moment. Share the road — deliberately, not just as a slogan on a sign.