A man, woman, and child riding in a horse-drawn buggy suffered serious injuries Sunday afternoon when a car struck their carriage from behind on Six Corners Road in Barrington. The November 10, 2025 crash ejected all three occupants and resulted in the horse being euthanized at the scene.
What Happened
The Yates County Sheriff’s Office responded to the collision just before 2:35 p.m. on Six Corners Road in Barrington. A woman driving southbound struck the horse-drawn buggy from behind, causing extensive damage to both the carriage and her vehicle.
The impact threw all three buggy occupants from the carriage. Mercy Flight transported the injured man, woman, and child to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The woman driving the car and a child passenger in her vehicle were not injured.
Deputies charged the driver with following too closely. The horse pulling the buggy had to be euthanized due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Following Too Closely Behind Horse-Drawn Vehicles
New York law requires drivers to maintain a safe following distance that allows them to stop without colliding with the vehicle ahead. When a car strikes a horse and buggy from behind, it typically means the driver failed to recognize the slower-moving vehicle in time or followed too closely to stop safely.
Horse-drawn buggies travel between 5 and 10 miles per hour on rural roads where cars typically move at 45 to 55 miles per hour. This speed differential requires drivers to slow down significantly when approaching horse-drawn vehicles. Rear-end collisions suggest the driver either didn’t see the buggy and horse until too late or misjudged the closing distance.
Following too closely becomes particularly dangerous when the vehicle ahead is pulled by a horse. Cars can brake quickly. Horses cannot accelerate to avoid rear-end impact. Once a driver realizes they’re closing on a horse and buggy too fast, the only option is emergency braking. If following distance is inadequate, collision becomes unavoidable.
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Why Rear-End Impacts Devastate Buggy Occupants and Horses
Horse-drawn buggies offer no crash protection. The wooden frame provides no crumple zones, no restraints keep passengers in their seats, and no rollover protection exists. When struck from behind, the force throws occupants forward and out of the carriage onto the roadway while simultaneously injuring or killing the horse in the harness.
The fact that all three occupants were ejected indicates the severity of the impact. Passengers thrown from buggies typically land on pavement, suffering head injuries, broken bones, and internal trauma. Children are particularly vulnerable because their smaller bodies absorb proportionally greater force.
The need to transport all three victims by medical helicopter rather than ambulance suggests life-threatening injuries requiring immediate access to trauma surgeons and specialized care. Strong Memorial Hospital serves as the region’s Level 1 trauma center, equipped to handle the most serious crash injuries.
The horse sustained injuries severe enough to require euthanasia at the scene. Horses struck from behind while pulling buggies often suffer broken legs, spinal damage, or internal injuries incompatible with survival. The force of a car hitting from behind can also cause the harness to injure the animal or result in the buggy collapsing onto the horse.
New York Laws Protect Horse-Drawn Vehicles
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law requires drivers to maintain sufficient space between their vehicle and the one ahead to allow safe stopping. The law recognizes that different vehicles travel at different speeds and places responsibility on following drivers to adjust their speed and distance accordingly.
When a driver receives a citation for following too closely after striking a horse-drawn buggy, that citation establishes the driver violated traffic law. This violation can serve as evidence of negligence in civil claims brought by injured buggy occupants.
Courts recognize that buggy passengers have no control over how motorists approach from behind. The person handling the horse can’t make the buggy move faster or get off the road when a car approaches too quickly. Responsibility for maintaining safe following distance rests entirely with the car driver.
Get Help After a Horse and Buggy Crash
Rear-end collisions with horse-drawn buggies result from drivers failing to recognize or respect the presence of slower-moving vehicles pulled by horses. When negligent driving causes serious injury to buggy occupants and kills their horse, victims have legal rights to compensation.
If you or a family member was injured in a horse and buggy crash caused by a negligent driver, contact Silva Injury Law for a free consultation.
