A tractor pulling a hayride overturned Sunday afternoon in Wellsburg, N.Y., ejecting riders from a youth group and leaving the 16-year-old driver in critical condition.
The Chemung County Sheriff’s Office said the ride was part of a gathering of the German Baptist community after Sunday services. Riders ranged in age from 4 to 19. Passengers told investigators the brakes began to smoke and the driver appeared to be struggling with a mechanical problem. The tractor continued about a mile and a half downhill, passed a stop sign at Berwick Turnpike, and rolled. The hitch snapped. The tractor rolled multiple times, pinned the driver, and dragged him into a tree. He was not pinned when it stopped.
Sheriff’s officials said 21 people started on the tractor and wagon. Five jumped off before the crash. The rest were ejected. Eleven people, including the driver, were taken to hospitals. Most had cuts and abrasions and had been treated and released by Monday. The driver, from Gillett, Pa., was flown to Robert Packer Hospital and remained critical. Investigators said the right-side brake appeared discolored and overheated. No other vehicles were involved. Three cars had just cleared the intersection.
The sheriff’s office released home-surveillance video to show the speed into the intersection. It did not release body-camera audio, which Sheriff William Schrom said captured children screaming.
Hopewell Heritage Headlines is not naming the driver. He is a minor, and he has not been charged in any public release reviewed for this story.
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