Multiple children were critically injured after they were ejected from a hayride that flipped over in New York.
A John Deere tractor towing a wagon carrying 19 passengers, most of them children, lost control at an intersection in Wellsburg on Sunday, according to officials.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people were treated at the scene, five were transported to the hospital, and one person needed to be airlifted.
Three people are now in critical condition, according to Rochester First.
Schrom told the New York Times that one of his lieutenants, who was nearby, witnessed the crash near the intersection of Berwick Turnpike and Comfort Hill Road.
Schrom said the tractor appeared to be speeding out of control as it headed toward the intersection.
The driver of the tractor turned the wheel, causing the tractor to roll over and detach from the wagon, said the sheriff.
According to WETM, the driver was pinned underneath the tractor, which dragged him several yards before colliding with a tree.
A John Deere tractor towing a wagon carrying 19 passengers of a German Baptist community, most of them children, lost control at an intersection in Wellsburg on Sunday, according to officials
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people were treated at the scene, five were transported to the hospital, and one person needed to be airlifted
The wagon continued to travel with the riders still on it until it crashed after crossing Berwick Turnpike, ejecting the riders.
‘There was a volunteer fire department nearby, so everyone reacted quickly, but it didn’t look good for a few of the people who left here,’ the sheriff said.
Schrom added that investigators found that one of the tractors brakes was non-functional, according to Spectrum News.
‘We do know at least one of the brakes on one of the sides of the tractor was significantly burnt up,’ said the sheriff.
He added that the wagon was carrying members of a German Baptist community.
‘Similar to Mennonites or Amish,’ Schrom explained. ‘So they had an afternoon youth gathering after church services, and they decided to take a hayride; several of the members were on their way down the hill and were going to do a loop to go back where they started from, and, of course, they lost control coming down the hill.’
The group began the ride on Robinson Road, Schrom said, adding that the community holds a youth gathering every Sunday.
Schrom said the tractor appeared to be speeding out of control as it headed toward the intersection. Officers pictured at the crash scene
The driver of the tractor turned the wheel, causing the tractor to roll over and detach from the wagon. According to WETM, the driver was pinned underneath the tractor, which dragged him several yards before colliding with a tree
Jeremy Brent, a Wellsburg resident, told the Times that he realized the incident was serious after watching the medical helicopter land.
‘Most of them were kids and their belongings were all over the driveway,’ he said in an email to the outlet.
‘I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.’
Daily Mail has reached out to the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
