Several children were critically injured when a hayride wagon overturned and riders were thrown from it in Wellsburg, New York.
Officials said a John Deere tractor pulling a wagon with 19 passengers, most of them children, lost control at an intersection Sunday.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people received treatment at the scene, while five others were taken to hospitals. One patient required transport by air ambulance.
Three people remained in critical condition, according to Rochester First.
Schrom told the New York Times that a lieutenant who happened to be nearby saw the crash unfold near Berwick Turnpike and Comfort Hill Road.
The tractor appeared to be traveling too fast and was out of control as it approached the intersection, the sheriff said.
When the driver turned the wheel, the tractor overturned and separated from the wagon, according to Schrom.
The driver became trapped beneath the tractor, which dragged him several yards before striking a tree, WETM reported.
A John Deere tractor pulling a wagon carrying 19 members of a German Baptist community, most of them children, lost control at a Wellsburg intersection Sunday, officials said.
Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom said 14 people were treated at the crash site, five were taken to hospitals and one was airlifted.
The wagon continued moving with passengers aboard before crashing after crossing Berwick Turnpike, throwing the riders from the vehicle.
“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,” Schrom said.
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Investigators also determined that one of the tractor’s brakes was not working, Schrom said, 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,” the sheriff said.
The wagon was carrying members of a German Baptist community, he added.
Schrom described the group as “similar to Mennonites or Amish.” After church services, the community held an afternoon youth gathering and planned a hayride loop that would return to its starting point. Several members were traveling downhill when the tractor lost control.
The ride began on Robinson Road, and the community holds a youth gathering each Sunday, Schrom said.
The tractor appeared to be speeding and out of control as it approached the intersection, Schrom said. Officers are shown at the crash scene.
The driver turned the tractor, causing it to overturn and break away from the wagon. WETM reported that the driver was trapped underneath as the tractor dragged him several yards before hitting a tree.
Wellsburg resident Jeremy Brent told the Times he understood the seriousness of the crash when he saw a 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.