3 Amish Siblings Die After Their Buggy Collides with an SUV, Throwing the Children from the Carriage

Three Amish siblings reportedly died when a buggy they were riding on collided with an SUV in Indiana. 

The Marshall County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Glenda Jo Yoder, 13, Darrell Yoder, 10, and Devon Yoder, 9, according to CW affiliate WISH, NBC affiliate WNDU and CBS affiliate WSBT.

The incident occurred south of Bremen along Fir Road and 4th Road, WISH reported. The Yoders were heading to school on the morning of Wednesday, April 9, when a Mercedes GLA hit the back of their buggy, throwing the kids out, the outlet further noted.

Emergency responders, including a medical helicopter and an accident reconstructionist, arrived, WSBT reported. The children were pronounced dead at the scene. 

The Mercedes driver was uninjured, WIBC reported.

In an interview with WSBT, Katie, a resident, recalled witnessing police lights “and saw it looked like an accident and in the back of my head I kind of knew that I hadn't seen the Amish kids come down the road yet and go down the road onto to the school.”

She also told the outlet she had seen many incidents between buggies and cars. 

“So, you know you'll be going the opposite direction,” Katie said, “and you'll see a horse spook at something and almost jump into your lane. It happens a lot and driving around them enough, you can see how easily it can happen.”

According to the nonprofit organization Amish Heritage Foundation, per tradition, Amish individuals are not allowed to operate cars but can drive using horse-drawn buggies. In some communities, however, Amish people can own a vehicle for business purposes. 

There is no current minimum age to operate a horse-drawn vehicle in Indiana, WNDU reported. 

According to the Indiana-based law firm Keller and Keller, there were 20 incidents in 2015 involving horse-drawn vehicles in Elkhart County, which has an Amish population.  The vehicles, the firm said, don’t contain seat belts or airbags to maintain occupant safety.

“One of the difficulties of course is not infringing on the way of life of a segment of the population that we have,” Keller and Keller attorney Dan Armstrong, who does not represent anyone involved in Wednesday’s incident, told WNDU, “so trying to make that balance between making the roads safer, but at the same time accommodating people who live a certain way and have certain beliefs. It’s a tricky thing, I think.”

The Marshall County Sheriff's Office did not provide further comment to PEOPLE as the investigation is ongoing.

PEOPLE also contacted the Bremen Police Department and the Marshall County Coroner’s Office for additional information on Friday, April 11, but they did not immediately respond.