Jeep Smashes Buggy, Ejects Family of 9 Amish, Five children were! See more

Late on an October night, a quiet stretch of State Road 218 near Berne, Indiana turned into a scene of chaos and flashing emergency lights. At around 11:20 p.m., first responders arrived to find a mangled Amish buggy shattered across the pavement and a Jeep sitting nose-down in a ditch. What should have been a peaceful ride home for one family had instead become a violent collision that threw nearly every passenger from the buggy.

Nine people were packed into that buggy—an entire family making their way along the rural road, the kind of road where the only sounds on most nights are the clip of horses’ hooves and the whir of distant farm equipment. That night, though, everything changed the moment a Jeep slammed into the back of the slower-moving carriage.

The buggy’s driver, 32-year-old Ruben L. M. Schwartz of Berne, took the worst of the impact. When crews reached him, it was immediately clear he needed urgent care. A medical helicopter was dispatched, and he was airlifted to Lutheran Hospital as paramedics worked to stabilize him. Seven of the nine occupants were injured—six of them children and teens according to early reports, though details varied slightly between local accounts. Another adult, 20-year-old Joseph L. M. Schwartz, was taken by ambulance to Parkview Hospital along with five of the younger passengers.

Two others, 32-year-old Saraetta L. Schwartz and a two-year-old child, declined treatment at the scene despite the wreckage surrounding them.

Adams County Sheriff Dan Mawhorr later explained what investigators believed happened: the Jeep, driven by 33-year-old Bradley J. Ocilka of Burlington, Kentucky, had been traveling eastbound on the highway when it struck the buggy from behind. The force of the collision destroyed the wooden frame and sent passengers tumbling onto the roadway. Ocilka was transported to a hospital for a legal blood draw—standard procedure after such a crash—but declined any additional medical care. As of the latest update, no charges had been filed, though the investigation remains open.

The response effort was massive. Adams County EMS, the Berne and Geneva police departments, the Berne Fire Department, Indiana State Police, Wells County EMS, Jay County EMS, and the flight crew from Lutheran Hospital all converged on the stretch of highway. Emergency lights cut through the darkness while responders worked under pressure, tending to the injured, securing the site, and piecing together what had led to such a devastating impact.

In the Amish community, travel by buggy is a way of life, a slow and steady rhythm that stands in sharp contrast to the speed of modern traffic. Crashes like this one serve as harsh reminders of that vulnerability. A moment of inattention from a driver, a misjudged distance, or a blind curve can change lives instantly.

For the Schwartz family, that night became one they will never forget—one marked by terror, injury, and the kind of uncertainty that lingers long after the road has been cleared and the flashing lights fade. And as investigators continue their work, the community waits for answers, hoping for healing for everyone involved and for accountability wherever it is due.

Rural roads are often quiet, familiar, and comforting. But on nights like this, they hold stories of sudden tragedy—stories that ripple through entire communities and leave behind a reminder of how fragile a moment can be.