6 Die After a Truck Hit a Van Carrying 10 Amish Members in Michigan

At least six people died in a collision between a pickup truck and a van in Gilford Township, Mich., on Tuesday, Aug. 13, per the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Authorities received a call at 4:44 p.m. local time that a pickup truck had struck a van carrying an Amish family. The truck was driving south on Vassar and ran a stop sign while the van was traveling westbound on highway M-138.

There were three occupants in the pickup truck, while the van had 10 people. Once the vehicles collided, multiple passengers were ejected from both vehicles.

Six people were killed, five of whom were in the van and one was in the truck, local ABC affiliate WJRT reported. Three other people were hospitalized. 

No one’s identity has been revealed. However, WJRT reports that the deceased pickup truck passenger was 44, and the Amish victims were mostly in their 60s. “With this particular case we are dealing with, people don’t have IDs or don’t carry IDs,” Tuscola County Undersheriff Bob Baxter said, per WJRT. 

“Scenes like that are pretty chaotic at first,” Baxter said, noting that the investigation is still ongoing. “We are still trying to determine identities, as well drivers, where people were sitting.”

“Please keep those affected by this tragedy in your thoughts,” the sheriff’s office said. “These incidents are preventable and people need to slow down and obey traffic laws.”

Rita Hanby, a woman who provides car rides for the Amish with her husband, told WJRT, “It’s just a tragedy, a sad tragedy for this community.”

Hanby explained that she will drive those who request, which is usually when “it’s farther than the horse would take them.” 

“My husband and I are both retired. We enjoy these people, they are our friends,” she said. “They are some of the most generous, caring people you would ever meet.”

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A representative for the Tuscola County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.