Several children were critically injured when a hayride wagon overturned and its passengers were thrown from it in Wellsburg, New York.
Officials said a John Deere tractor pulling a wagon with 19 passengers, most of them children, lost control at an intersection on Sunday.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people received treatment at the scene, while five others were taken to a hospital. One patient was airlifted.
Three people remain in critical condition, according to Rochester First.
Schrom told the New York Times that a nearby lieutenant witnessed the crash at the intersection of Berwick Turnpike and Comfort Hill Road.
The sheriff said the tractor appeared to be traveling at an excessive speed and was out of control as it approached the intersection.
When the driver turned the steering wheel, the tractor rolled over and separated from the wagon, Schrom said.
According to WETM, the driver became trapped beneath the tractor. The vehicle dragged him several yards before hitting a tree.
A John Deere tractor towing a wagon with 19 passengers from a German Baptist community, most of them children, lost control at a Wellsburg intersection on Sunday, officials said.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people were treated at the scene, five were taken to the hospital and one was airlifted.
The wagon continued moving with passengers aboard before crashing after crossing Berwick Turnpike, throwing the riders from the vehicle.
‘There was a volunteer fire department nearby, so everyone reacted quickly, but it didn’t look good for a few of the people who left here,’ the sheriff said.
Investigators also determined that one of the tractor’s brakes was not working, Schrom said, according to Spectrum News.
‘We do know at least one of the brakes on one of the sides of the tractor was significantly burnt up,’ the sheriff said.
The wagon was carrying members of a German Baptist community, Schrom added.
‘Similar to Mennonites or Amish,’ Schrom explained. ‘So they had an afternoon youth gathering after church services, and they decided to take a hayride; several of the members were on their way down the hill and were going to do a loop to go back where they started from, and, of course, they lost control coming down the hill.’
The group set off from Robinson Road, and the community holds a youth gathering each Sunday, Schrom said.
Schrom said the tractor appeared to be speeding out of control as it approached the intersection. Officers were photographed at the crash scene.
The tractor rolled over and detached from the wagon when the driver turned the wheel. WETM reported that the driver was pinned beneath the tractor, which dragged him several yards before striking a tree.
Wellsburg resident Jeremy Brent told the Times he understood the severity of the crash when he saw a medical helicopter land at the scene.
‘Most of them were kids and their belongings were all over the driveway,’ he said in an email to the outlet.
‘I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.’
Our News Outlet has reached out to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
