At least three people were critically injured when a tractor pulling a hayride wagon went out of control in Wellsburg on Sunday, Chemung County Sheriff Bill Schrom told Spectrum News.
The crash happened shortly after 4:30 p.m. near Berwick Turnpike and Main Street. The wagon was carrying about 20 people, most of them children, during a German Baptist community gathering after church services, Schrom told Spectrum News.
Schrom said the tractor was traveling downhill when the driver tried to turn. The wagon separated from the tractor and its passengers were ejected. The tractor then rolled about 50 yards, dragging the driver, he said.
About 14 people were treated at the scene, and at least five were taken by ambulance, according to the sheriff’s account. Schrom told Spectrum News that the driver was in critical condition and would be flown to Upstate University Hospital.
Investigators are examining whether a tractor brake failed. Schrom told Spectrum News that a brake on one side appeared to be badly burned. Authorities have not announced a final cause of the crash.
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