UTICA, Minn. – A pickup truck rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy southwest of Utica, ejecting the buggy driver. Norman William Yoder, 36, of rural Utica, suffered a leg injury but declined an ambulance ride to be taken instead by a passerby to a hospital. The pickup driver, Carter Mark Hovlend, 20, of Chatfield, was unhurt. The horse also was unhurt. The accident was about 4:30 p.m. five miles from Utica near the odd-ball intersection of County Road 23, which is paved, and County Road 123. Yoder was gone to the hospital by the time Winona County deputies arrived. Hovlend told deputies the impact occurred as he was putting trash into a back seat container. He said he looked up, saw the buggy, and swerved to avoid a collision — but too late. He estimated his speed at 55 to 60 mph. Deputies said that impairment was not an issue. No charges were filed pending further investigation.
