Cop Chases Zipping Amish Buggy. After Taking One Look Through Window, Sees No One Is Driving
“Every new day brings with it new challenges,” like a horse running wild with a buggy trailing behind it. For several policemen and state patrol officers in Wooster, Ohio, this is exactly what happened one Sunday morning in late June.
As one of many states with the largest Amish population, it’s not uncommon to see some of these Ohio natives commuting by way of traditional vehicles.
Most of the time, you will see a carriage being guided by a coachman, but that wasn’t the case for one runaway horse.
Officer Sergeant Smith was recognized on Wooster Police Department’s Facebook for chasing down the zipping Amish buggy. Three photos of the aftermath have since gone viral with more than 1.2 thousand likes and over 900 comments.
In the post, the department said that the horse and “buggy took a morning run” on State Route 250 going in the opposite direction of traffic. It was most likely one of the most hazardous sightings for the police officers.
Without a driver to lead the way, the horse was probably running rampant down the road, causing danger for other motorists.
Once Smith was close enough to reach the buggy, he “jumped inside and managed to get the horse to stop.”
After traveling 10 miles, the excited horse then decided to take a quick nap break as several officers waited for his owner to arrive. One photo showed Smith standing on top of the buggy looking down at the restless animal.
Thankfully for everyone, no one was hurt during the ordeal, not even the courageous officer who made the daring decision to stop the carriage from moving forward. The only person that was feeling the consequences of running in the Ohio heat was the exhausted horse.
A lot of people on the departments Facebook post were sad for the horse who they said was probably “overworked” and tired.
Some even implied that the owner of the “poor horse” may have been a little irresponsible for not properly watching his buggy.
Other comments praised Smith for his fast-thinking. “Just another reason to love and respect our wonderful law enforcement people,” one person wrote.
While everyone was saying “good job,” another person pointed out Smith’s courageous actions. “Sgt. C.O. Smith risks his safety running for a driverless carriage with a runaway horse; stops carriage, saves horse,” the commenter said. “No injuries to man nor beast – excellent outcome – not so easy to chase down a runaway even at just a trot!”
Smith told the The Daily Record he was relieved the situation turned out “okay.” He said: “That could have been a bigger incident with a 2,000-pound animal running in the wrong lane.”
Good thing for the horse, he’s now hydrated and back with the owner. Maybe next time he decides to run off, he’ll consider how tiring the trip may be without a driver.
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