Two of the Amish teens injured after a vehicle struck the buggy they were in this week in St. Croix County remained hospitalized Wednesday, June 28.
The Wisconsin State Patrol identified the buggy driver as 19-year-old Alvin J. Borntreger and a passenger as 18-year-old Fannie F. Mast. The teens, both of Wilson, were listed in good condition Wednesday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
Mast was critically injured in the 12:30 a.m. June 26 crash and was airlifted from the scene at highways 128 and 12 in Wilson, a community on the eastern edge of St. Croix County.
The State Patrol didn't release the name of a third passenger, a 17-year-old Wilson girl, due to her juvenile status. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening, troopers said in a news release issued after the crash.
The buggy was struck from behind on Highway 128 by a Honda Pilot, the driver of which was identified by troopers as 33-year-old Vanessa J. Bennett of Glenwood City. She showed no signs of impairment after the crash and voluntarily submitted to a blood draw afterward, troopers said.
State Patrol Sgt. Dean Haigh said the crash remains under investigation. He said investigators hope to learn whether the buggy was displaying the required lamps on the front and rear. A “slow-moving vehicle” sign - also a requirement for buggies operating on public roadways - was found in the crash debris, Haigh said.
State law requires at least one white lamp on the front end of a buggy that can be visible from 500 feet. That law also requires two red lamps, also to be visible from 500 feet, on the rear of buggies.
This document, which Haigh said has been vetted by the Amish community, contains recommendations that conform to and, in some cases, exceed state laws for buggy travel.
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