A deadly crash happened Tuesday in Gilford Township, a farming area about 100 miles north of Detroit. Authorities say at least six people were killed when a pickup truck ran a stop sign and slammed into a van carrying members of the local Amish community.
The Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office reported that 13 people were in the two vehicles — 10 in the van and 3 in the truck. Several people were thrown from both vehicles during the collision.
“Right now, there are six confirmed deaths, and the conditions of the others are not yet known,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Seven survivors were taken to the hospital.
Undersheriff Robert Baxter confirmed that the van’s driver was not Amish but had been hired to transport the passengers. “They are local residents,” Baxter said, adding he was unsure where the group was coming from or headed.
The Amish are a Christian group known for living separately from modern society. They usually travel in horse-drawn buggies and do not drive motor vehicles, though they will ride in cars or trucks driven by non-Amish people.
On the same day, in western Michigan, another crash involving a pickup truck and an Amish buggy killed a 4-month-old girl and injured several others. A 2-year-old boy remains in critical condition.
Police urged drivers to be cautious in rural areas where horse-and-buggy travel is common.
