2 Killed, 8 Injured After Family Horse-Drawn Buggy Was Rear-Ended in Virginia: 'Please Pray'
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Two Amish parents are dead and eight children are injured after an accident involving the family's buggy in Virginia, authorities say.
Barbie Esh, 38, and her husband John Z. Esh, 39, were killed as a result of a collision with a 2005 Toyota Tundra on Sunday in Cumberland County, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
The mother was pronounced dead at the scene. The father died on Monday at VCU Medical Center.
The couple was with their eight children — whose range in age from 9 months to 16 years — when the accident occurred, Geller said. The severity of the children's injuries varied from mild to serious, with six still in the hospital.
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Both the buggy and the pick-up truck were traveling south on Route 45 just before 8 p.m. on Sunday, when the Toyota struck the buggy from behind. The driver of the truck, Mickel Bates, 60, fled the scene but returned a short time later, Geller said.
Charges against the Farmville man are still pending.
One family friend, Maria Bryan, told NBC12 that the Eshes were approximately two minutes from their home when they were clipped by the pick-up truck.
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"Some of the firefighters walked the horse from the scene over to the people's barn," Bryan told the outlet. "That's how close they were to home."
The buggy was equipped with the required "Slow Moving Vehicle" sign at the time of the accident, Geller said.
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The Toga Volunteer Fire Department has warned of "heavy buggy traffic" in the area through Thursday as the double funeral takes place at Amish Community Cemetery.
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"Amish families from as far as Pennsylvania and New York will be attending the funeral and assisting the family involved," the department said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday. "Cumberland officials are expecting over 400 participants."
A verified GoFundMe page has been set up by one of John's co-workers, Johnny Stoltzfus, to support the family in wake of the tragedy. Funds will help cover the children's hospital expenses and the parents' funeral costs.
"The Esh family would appreciate any donation," Stoltzfus said in the GoFundMe description. "Also please pray for these 8 children as they prepare to face life without their parents."
