A young Amish girl and a horse have been killed after a suspected DUI driver collided with a buggy in Michigan.
The 8-year-old girl, who has not been named, was traveling with her brother, 12, when the incident occurred on Wednesday morning in Van Buren County.
According to Michigan state police, troopers responded to a crash involving a Ford SUV and the Amish buggy at around 8 a.m.
Both children were transported to hospital following the incident. The boy was in critical condition and the girl succumbed to her injuries and was later pronounced dead.
Authorities said the horse that had been pulling the buggy had also died as a result of its injuries.
The driver of the Ford, a 31-year-old woman from Mattawan, was driving under the influence of an unknown substance when she rear-ended the buggy, state police said.
The woman, who has also not been named, and her children who were also in the car, were reportedly unharmed. She was taken to the county jail.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Speaking to WWMT-TV, Lieutenant DuWayne Robinson of the state police reminded other drivers to be mindful of the presence of the Amish community.
You will see horse and buggies going up and down the roadways. They have just as much right to the roadway as passenger vehicles do,” Robinson said, adding that it is legal for children to be in an Amish buggy without an adult.
