Another crash involving truck, horse and buggy in northern Ontario

A horse and buggy were hit by an 'inattentive' pickup truck driver on Highway 17 last week resulting in the driver being injured and horse having to be put down, police say.

Officers from the East Algoma detachment were called to the scene in Johnson Township, a little more than 50 km east of Sault Ste. Marie around 10 a.m. Oct. 29, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release.

The pickup truck was hauling an enclosed utility trailer at the time.

"Investigation determined the collision occurred within two eastbound lanes (passing lanes) west of Archibald Road," OPP said.

"The horse and buggy were in the lane closest to the shoulder and the inattentive pick-up driver rear ended the buggy, destroying it and striking the horse."

As a result of the collision, the buggy driver was ejected from the cart into the southbound ditch.

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"The buggy driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital in Sault Ste Marie," OPP said.

"The horse had to be euthanized at the scene."

Second horse-buggy crash in one year

The crash last Tuesday is the second one involving a vehicle and horse and buggy on the same highway along the North Shore in less than a year.

Last December, a 29-year-old buggy driver was killed after being hit by a tractor trailer in Huron Shores west of Iron Bridge, about 60 kilometres east of the most recent crash.

"Both vehicles were travelling a double eastbound lane when the collision occurred," OPP said.

"The buggy driver succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased at hospital."

Both the tractor trailer driver, a 56-year-old Orillia man, and the company, Hunt Trucking Limited from Mulmur, were charged with a total of 68 offences.

The truck driver in that case had been driving with a suspended licence at the time.

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Of the 32 charges against him, two of them are careless driving and driving a commercial vehicle with a defect in it.

The allegations against the commercial driver and trucking company have not been proven in court.

How to share the road with a horse and buggy

"Horse-drawn vehicles are some of the slowest on the road," OPP said.

"They range from a single horse and buggy to large farm wagons pulled by two or more horses. Primary travel is on the shoulder of the road and are almost always black in colour."

Horse-drawn vehicles are used by the Amish and Mennonite communities and can largely be found in farming areas between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce County, the Waterloo region and Aylmer area.

"There are few regulations governing horse-drawn buggies in Ontario. Operators don't require a driver's licence, vehicles don't need licence plates, seatbelts or child safety seats and insurance isn't required," OPP said.

"Most horse-drawn equipment must have a reflective, slow-moving vehicle sign. Exemptions are allowed for religious reasons, but even then, five reflective strips are required for travel on public roads."

Tips when encountering a horse-drawn vehicle on the road:

• Drive slowly when you are approaching, passing or following a buggy
• Do not crowd - allow enough safe space
• Never honk horn as it scares the horse
• Increased times of travel - Sunday mornings and Wednesdays are church days, weekday mornings and afternoons are school time. Saturday is Market Day. Keep a look out.
• Remember that passengers in buggies do not have seat belts and often carry children. Be aware.

"Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, drivers of motor vehicles must exercise every reasonable precaution to avoid frightening horses to ensure the safety of anyone leading, driving or riding a horse," OPP said.