LAGRANGE CO., Ind. (ADAMS) – Five people are hospitalized after a box truck hit a buggy Monday morning in LaGrange County. Four of the injured are children along with 33-year-old buggy driver Lamar Graber.
Just before 9:00 a.m., police responded and found the driver and the passengers of the buggy laying along the side of the road.
All five occupants of the buggy were transported to a hospital, and the driver of the box truck, 27-year-old Stephen Donaldson, did not suffer any injuries in the crash.
According to the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Office, Donaldson was adjusting the GPS unit in his truck and did not notice the buggy was slowing down, resulting in the crash at the intersection of State Road 9 and County Road 500 South.
Donaldson told police he tried to brake to avoid a collision, but he ended up crashing into the rear end of the buggy.
Two male juveniles were flown to the hospital and three others were taken by ambulance. Donaldson was not hurt.
The following was released on Tuesday:
Deputies with the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of State Road 9 and CR 500 S Wolcottville, IN for a report of a vehicle accident involving a box truck and a horse and buggy. Deputies arrived on scene and observed the occupants of the buggy laying along the side of the roadway. Deputies immediately began administering triage to the victims. Four of the victims were male juveniles and the buggy operator was an adult male. During the course of the investigation, it was found that the box truck driver, Stephen Donaldson, was adjusting his GPS unit in the vehicle and did not observe the buggy begin to slow. Donaldson advisede Deputies he attempted to brake to avoid a collision and struck the rear end of the buggy with the front right portion of the box truck. Two male junveniles were flown by Parkview Samaritan to PRMC. The other three occupants were transported by medics to PRMC.