SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – A motorist struck a horse-drawn Amish buggy carrying nine people in the dark north of Spring Valley. Six Amish were taken 27 miles to a Rochester hospital. Worst hurt were a 12-year-old and a 1-year-old. They were reported in in stable condition. The accident was about 10:05 p.m. Fillmore County deputies said that the buggy was struck by an SUV and that driver didn’t stop. The vehicle, deputies said, was later found parked at a Spring Valley address.
Earlier: Felony lies: Second twin accused in Amish wreck
Fillmore County 1
The buggy accident was the second on Fillmore County Road 1 in six months. In September two Amish children were killed and two injured on their way to school. The road connects Spring Valley and Rochester to the north. It’s a wide two-lane, paved road that carries a lot of day-time traffic as an alternative the north-south Highway 63 route between Stewartville and Rochester. Many Amish families live along County Road 1. The speed limit is posted at 55 mph. Frequent yellow diamond-shape warning signs silhouette an Amish horse and buggy.