Martha Wagler, 27, of Bryan and her two children suffered serious injuries when a pickup truck struck their horse-drawn buggy from behind and fled the scene on November 12 in Williams County. The crash forced Wagler, who was seven months pregnant, to deliver her baby two months early.
The Hit-and-Run Crash on County Road G
Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers responded to the crash at 5:40 p.m. on eastbound County Road G near County Road 10 in Center Township. A white Chevrolet Silverado struck the horse-drawn buggy from behind, then fled the scene without stopping.
Martha Wagler and her two children were transported to hospitals with serious injuries. Body camera footage shows troopers arriving to find the family in distress, with audio capturing one trooper saying, “A baby over there has a deep gash on his head.”
Wagler’s father later wrote to local media explaining the full extent of his family’s injuries. His daughter, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the crash, was forced to deliver her baby two months early due to trauma from the collision. The premature infant remains hospitalized and will require more than a month of care before the family can take her home. Medical staff have not yet allowed the family to hold the newborn.
The couple’s young daughter suffered a broken elbow requiring pins in her arm. Their son sustained a skull fracture and is now home recovering.
The horse pulling the buggy was not injured in the collision.
Ohio State Highway Patrol located the truck with heavy front-end damage and identified the driver. The patrol credited public tips with helping locate the vehicle. As of early December, the case remains under investigation.
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Rear-End Collisions Devastate Buggy Families
Horse-drawn buggies offer no protection when struck from behind. The wooden frame provides no crumple zones, and passengers have no restraints to keep them in their seats. When a vehicle traveling at rural road speeds hits a buggy, the force throws occupants forward and can collapse the buggy structure entirely.
The injuries sustained by the Wagler family demonstrate what happens when a truck strikes an unprotected buggy from behind. The impact was violent enough to cause premature labor, fracture a child’s skull, and break another child’s elbow. These crashes leave families with catastrophic injuries that require months or years of recovery.
Ohio Law and Buggy Crash Liability
Ohio requires drivers to maintain safe following distances and to watch for slower-moving vehicles on roadways. Horse-drawn buggies have the same right to use public roads as motorized vehicles, and drivers must adjust their speed and following distance when approaching these slower vehicles.
When a driver strikes a buggy from behind, it typically establishes that the driver failed to maintain proper lookout or followed too closely. The law places responsibility on the following driver to avoid rear-end collisions, recognizing that the vehicle ahead, whether a car, truck, or horse-drawn buggy, cannot prevent being hit from behind.
Families injured in buggy crashes can pursue civil claims seeking compensation for their medical expenses, pain and suffering, and the long-term effects of their injuries. These claims proceed independently of any criminal investigation and provide families with resources to pay for the care they need.
Get Legal Help After a Horse-Drawn Buggy Crash
When a driver strikes a horse-drawn buggy and flees the scene, leaving a pregnant woman and children with life-altering injuries, families need legal representation to protect their rights and pursue compensation for their losses.
If you or your family was injured in a crash involving a horse-drawn buggy, contact Silva Injury Law for a free consultation.
