A pickup truck ignored a stop sign in rural Michigan, resulting in a collision with a van carrying Amish community members, resulting in at least six fatalities, authorities reported.
The crash occurred Tuesday afternoon in Tuscola County’s Gilford Township, 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Detroit.
Thirteen people were in the two vehicles, including 10 in the van, the sheriff’s office said.
“Numerous passengers were thrown from both the van and the pickup,” the sheriff’s office stated on Facebook. “Currently, there are 6 confirmed deaths, with the status of the other individuals unknown.”
Members of a local Amish community were in the van, Undersheriff Robert Baxter said Wednesday.
“They had employed a driver for the van,” he told The Associated Press. “I’m unsure of their destination or origin. They are residents of the county.”
Baxter said seven people were taken to a hospital. He had no update on their conditions.
The Amish follow fundamental Christian beliefs while preserving some separation from mainstream society. They usually travel in horse-drawn buggies and do not drive cars or trucks themselves, although they do ride in vehicles driven by non-Amish individuals.
In a different incident on Tuesday in western Michigan, a 4-month-old girl died after a pickup truck collided with an Amish buggy, as reported by state police. The buggy also carried four other children and two adults.
A 2-year-old boy was in critical condition, police said.
“This tragic crash is a sobering reminder to drive with patience and caution in areas where horse-and-buggy travel is a way of life,” police said.
According to Elizabethtown College, about 61% of North America’s Amish community resides in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, though Michigan also holds a substantial community.
