Nine people were killed Friday during a vehicle crash in Clark County, Wisconsin, and the only person who survived was a toddler.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened when a van and semi-truck smashed into each other while traveling on Highway 95 near Eau Claire, according to Fox 9.
The majority of passengers in the van were from an Amish community in Burke’s Garden, Virginia, which has a population of around 300 people.
Aerial video footage shows officials at the scene of the crash with the mangled semi-truck and van lying on and near the roadway:
The Amish community said seven of those in the crash were its neighbors. The toddler who survived lost his parents, sister, grandmother, and two aunts.
The van’s driver was a 45-year-old individual from Pounding Mill, Virginia. The semi-truck’s driver was also killed as a result of the wreck.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Amish community released the names of the eight people who died in the van:
- James McCoy, around 45. He was the driver of the van from Pounding Mill, Virginia.
- Linda Byler, 44
- Lydia Byler, 24, Linda’s daughter
- Ellen Schrock, 23, also a daughter of Linda
- Orlah Schrock, 24, Ellen’s husband
- Judy Rose Schrock, 6 months old, Ellen and Orlah’s daughter
- Delilah Schrock, 21, Orlah’s sister
- Suzanna Hertzler, 18
A Marine veteran who saw the crash, identified as Nathaniel Jahn, ran toward the scene where he heard the toddler whimpering underneath the truck’s wreckage, according to the Sentinel.
The child had been thrown from the van, and Jahn immediately pulled the boy out to safety. The newspaper identified the child as Micah Schrock, noting he was expected to be released into the care of relatives after being taken to a hospital.
Jahn tried to rescue others at the scene but was unable to do so, and law enforcement officers kept him back from the site as the van caught on fire.
After rescuing the child, Jahn said, “I think God put me there for a reason.”
In a social media post on Friday evening, the sheriff’s office said the investigation into the crash was ongoing.
The Amish community’s neighbors in Virginia are now offering support in any way they can, per Fox 9.
“The Amish community is a community of people that will give you anything that they have to give,” neighbor Jodi White said. “The faith and the strength that’s being displayed by this group of people right now – it’s unmatched. It’s something that really is very admirable.”
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