The Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department was called to investigate what was initially reported as a hit and run by a horse and buggy in a highway work zone this morning.
A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway maintenance crew had set up a work zone to do some shoulder work and patching of mail box turnouts along Ky. 654 (Weston Road) in northern Crittenden County. The highway runs through the heart of Crittenden County’s Amish community just west of the Mattoon community.
As a flagger held up traffic a couple of miles west of U.S. 60 East, a horse pulling an Amish buggy was apparently spooked by flashing lights on a state pickup truck. As the buggy driver attempted to keep the horse under control the buggy backed into the state truck causing minor damage to the door.
The spooked horse with the buggy behind took off down the highway at a run prompting the highway crew to initially report the incident as a hit and run. Since all Amish buggies look pretty much alike and are abundant on back roads in the area, it left Crittenden County Sheriff Wayne Agent without much way to identify the specific buggy involved in the incident.
Fortunately, the buggy driver was able to return to the site after calming the horse and Agent was able to fill out an accident report.
Crittenden County Highway Maintenance Supervisor Heath Martin described the damage to the door of the state truck as “pretty much cosmetic.” Martin indicated the incident was pretty minor when compared to what highway crews normally encounter in work zones as they go about their daily assignments. He says the main thing is that no one got hurt.
