3 kids killed in Amish buggy crash while on their way to school

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FILE - Amish horse-drawn buggy (Photo by David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Three siblings were killed this week when the horse-drawn Amish buggy they were taking to school was rear-ended by an SUV. 

The children – ages 9, 10 and 13, were killed near Bremen, Indiana, about 20 miles south of South Bend. 

What happened to the children? 

What we know:

According to The Kansas City Star, the children were on the way to school when a Mercedes SUV driven by a 17-year-old crashed into the back of the cart, ejecting all three children. The children died at the scene; the SUV driver was uninjured, police said. 

What we don't know:

It’s unclear whether the SUV driver is facing charges for the crash. 

Buggy crashes on the rise in Indiana

Dig deeper:

Indiana is home to the world’s third-largest Amish population, according to Amish America. As of 2024, more than 63,000 Amish live in the state. 

A Purdue University study found that the Amish population is growing faster than the rest of the population, leading to an increase in crashes involving buggies and cars. 

"Compared to motor vehicle incidents, these collisions result in a disproportionate number of fatalities," the study says. 

Attorney Dan Armstrong told WNDU that most Amish buggies don’t have seatbelts or other safety components, which makes any crash involving them more dangerous than others.  

"There’s not going to be air bags, there’s not going to even be structural components to these buggies that will protect the occupants," he said. 

But he also told the outlet that it’s "tricky" to balance trying to make the roads safer while not infringing on the beliefs of the Amish population. 

According to WDNU, there’s no minimum age for operating a horse drawn vehicle in Indiana.