Williamstown, Oswego Co. (WSYR-TV) - Two Amish women are recovering with only scrapes and bruises after a drunk driver hit the buggy they were riding in from behind Saturday night.
James Bristol, 63, of Camden has been charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident.
The crash happened on County Route 30 in Williamstown around 7pm Saturday night.
Police found the 63-year-old walking along State Route 104 a short time later, having abandoned his car close to where the accident happened. He is due back in court on October 20th.
A 19-year-old girl and 25-year-old girl were thrown from the buggy, but were not hurt.
Protecting the Amish from Drivers
State Police worry accidents involving the Amish will become more common. Both a car and buggy are entitled to use the same lane, however each travel at much different speeds and offer a different type of protection.
“They're traveling at 3 to 7 miles per hour depending on the horse that's drawing the buggy,” Sgt. Bernie Kennett with the State Police explains. “We’re driving 55 mph, hopefully no faster, and we come upon them that much quicker.”
Road sharing in Oswego County is taking on a new dimension as more Amish families move there, and accidents involving buggies become an issue.
The carriages must sport either a red lantern and reflective tape or a slow-moving vehicle sign.
Sgt. Kennett says that should be enough to keep the Amish safe on the road. “We did some informal tests with different reflectivity; using a lantern and tape, a reasonable person obeying the law and paying attention should not have a problem seeing these carriages out here.>
Monday, there were several pieces of the buggy scatted around in the grassy area just off County Route 30, near the crash scene. Two girls were in side of the buggy. Both are lucky they weren't more seriously hurt.
“If you look at what protection you have in your vehicle: You've got steel, seat belts, padded foam airbags, crumple zones. They basically have an axle and some wooden boards which make up their carriage. There's not a lot of protection there,” said Sgt. Kennett.
State police hope a slew of new signs will prompt drivers to be more careful.
Growing Amish Population in Oswego County
the crash draws attention to something folks living in Northern Oswego County have almost certainly noticed. There are more Amish in the area than there were several years ago.
State Police say the Amish community there has grown from only a few families five or six years ago to 25 spread out between Richland and Williamstown.
They come from Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in search of the same thing. “Our land values are more economical than in other areas,” Jim Atkinson, the Richland Town Supervisor said. “Plus, there was quite a bit of land available that wasn't farmed.”
Atkinson says the area's Amish families started to trickle in about four years ago. “They don't really ask for anything special. They will live by our rules and they just don't want to be photographed or be out in the open in front of anybody.”
The Amish take pride in their land. Farms that were once uncared for and unproductive are now flourishing.
Travis Spencer, who runs White's Lumber in Pulaski, says the same could be said for the area's economy. “They might come in for concrete blocks. Some of the wood they mill themselves. If they're doing a job for somebody they may come in for metal roofing.”
Even when times got tough, White's Lumber could count on having that horse and buggy strapped to the fence. “They don't travel to Syracuse to shop. They do business here.”
Even better, Atkinson says they're good neighbors and good hardworking people.
The North County, including Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, also have growing Amish populations. More recently, parts of Oneida and Herkimer Counties North of Utica have seen Amish moving in, with more than a dozen families there.
Driver arrested in hit and run of Amish buggy
Williamstown, New York (WSYR-TV) - Oswego County Sheriff's deputies have arrested the driver of a pickup truck they say crashed into an Amish buggy and then left the scene.
The crash happened around 7 o'clock Saturday evening on County Route 30 and State Route 13 in Williamstown. Oswego County 911 dispatchers say the people in the buggy were thrown from the carriage when it was hit, but are not hurt. The driver of that truck then fled the scene and was tracked down a short time later near Sol Davis Road. He or she was taken into custody. No word tonight on what person has been charged with.
