By Amanda O’Rourke
NEW BERLIN — A 7-year-old Winfield boy was killed Saturday and his mother seriously injured when the horse-drawn buggy in which they were riding was struck from behind by a sport utility vehicle on Route 304 in Union County.
According to state police at Milton, Ezra T. Yoder, 7, a son of Tobias M. and Fronie Holstetter Yoder, of 1297 Amish Road, was ejected from the buggy when it was struck from behind by a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac driven by Jeremy Brown, 36, of 49 Oak Lane, Selinsgrove.
Police said Tobias Yoder was at the reins of the buggy just before 2 p.m., traveling west at a slow speed in Limestone Township, just a few miles from the family’s home, when Brown failed to stop and struck the buggy, ejecting all four occupants.
Ezra was pronounced dead at the scene by Union County Coroner Wanda Walters. Ezra’s 39-year-old mother was taken to Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, where she remains in serious condition, a nursing supervisor said Saturday night.
An 11-year-old girl also was taken to Geisinger via Life Flight helicopter with what police described as serious injuries. Her condition was not available because state police do not release the names of juveniles.
Tobias Yoder, 43, and Brown suffered minor injuries.
Police did not say whether Brown would be charged. There was no information on the fate of the Yoders’ horse.
Ezra becomes the 15th person to die on Valley roads this year. Last year, 29 people were killed in traffic accidents in Montour, Nortumberland, Snyder and Union counties.
Second Valley accident in month
Saturday’s collision was at least the fourth between an automobile and horse-drawn buggy this year.
A Middleburg man was arraigned Sept. 30 on charges of hitting a horse-drawn buggy Sept. 24 in Penns Creek and then fleeing.
James Dean Leitzel, 45, of 3119 Richard Road, was charged with six counts of causing an accident involving personal injury, an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, driving a vehicle at an unsafe speed, careless driving and failure to give information and render aid.
He was released on unsecured $50,000 bail.
Delores Horning, of Middleburg, and five of her children were injured in the accident. One child, a 5-year-old boy, suffered a fractured skull, but has returned to his family home.
State police received an anonymous phone tip Sept. 28 that led them to Leitzel and the 1990 maroon Chevrolet Lumina he had been driving.
Leitzel told police that he was planning to turn himself in, and that the accident happened after he dropped a cigarette and bent down to pick it up. He then panicked and fled the crash scene, he told officers.
Two hurt in Watsontown area crash
Two people riding in a horse-drawn carriage were injured after they were struck by a truck and thrown from the buggy April 24 in Delaware Township, Northumberland County.
State police at Milton said a Watsontown boy was operating the buggy and had stopped on Route 1007 at Eighth Street Drive at 7:30 p.m.
The boy made a left turn onto Eighth Street Drive and was struck by Jamie Sue Shanahan, 25, Watsontown, who was traveling on Eighth Street Drive.
The boy and his passenger, Olivia D. Yoder, also of Watsontown, were thrown from the carriage. Both were taken to Geisinger Medical Center for their injuries.
Shanahan and her passenger, Ryan Nathaniel Miller, 23, of Watsontown, were not injured, police said.
Woman injured, horse euthanized
A Selinsgrove woman was seriously injured March 25 when her buggy was hit by a car on Sassafras Street in Penn Township, Snyder County.
Naomi S. Martin of Selinsgrove was hurt at about 5:15 p.m. as she was driving her buggy west on Sassafras Street near Air Tower Road in Penn Township when her rig was struck from behind by a PT Cruiser driven by Dorla B. Nary, 83, of 1029 Clifford Road.
Martin was taken to the hospital by ambulance, while the horse sustained a leg injury and was euthanized shortly after the accident. The buggy was destroyed.
