WEST SALEM – A Polk man was seriously injured on Tuesday morning after his Amish buggy collided with a semi tractor-trailer on U.S. 42 in Congress Township in Wayne County.
The crash occurred around 9:10 a.m. according to the Wooster Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol. Nathan W. Sanford, 24, Reading, Mich., was driving north on U.S. 42 in a 2012 Freightliner Commercial Tractor with a tanker trailer filled with 42,000 pounds of dried Canola, Sanford told officials he looked away from the road, and when he looked back, he saw an Amish buggy driven by Peter Swartzentruber, 35, of Polk, who was also northbound on U.S. 42.
Sanford attempted to swerve to the left, but his trailer struck the buggy. Swartzentruber was ejected from the buggy, and Sanford lost control of his vehicle. The tractor trailer overturned, blocking the north and southbound lanes of U.S. 42.
Swartzentruber was transported to Lodi Community Hospital by Town & Country Fire and EMS. He was later transported to Akron General due to the seriousness of his injuries.
Sanford suffered minor injuries and was not wearing a seat belt. He was cited for failing to stop in assured clear distance and failure to wear a safety belt.
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Department, the Ohio Department of Transportation, Bear’s Towing, Town & Country Fire and EMS and troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Commercial and Licensing Section assisted at the scene.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol encourages all drivers to keep their eyes and minds on the roadway. “Distracted Driving hurts everyone – stay FOCUSED!” the patrol said in a press release.
