A 32-year-old man has pleaded guilty over a hit-and-run that “demolished” an Amish buggy and forced a pregnant mum-of-two to deliver two months early – he was then arrested again
A driver has pleaded guilty to ploughing into an Amish family’s horse-drawn buggy, injuring a pregnant mum and her children. Michael Quillen’s white Chevrolet Silverado slammed into the back of the buggy Martha Wagler and her two children were travelling in.
The family’s buggy was “completely demolished” and Martha, 27, was forced to deliver her baby two months early due to the impact of the crash, which happened on November 12, 2025. Quillen, 32, took a plea deal at Williams County Common Pleas Court over the horror hit-and-run.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to stop after an accident and one count of tampering with evidence in the case. Charges of cocaine possession and driving under suspension were dropped.
Martha, who was heavily pregnant, was forced into emergency labour and later delivered her baby two months premature. Her two other children were seriously hurt and airlifted to an out-of-state children’s hospital for trauma treatment.
In the immediate aftermath, bodycam audio captured the chaos at the scene, with a trooper heard saying: “A baby over there has a deep gash on his head”, Amish America reported.
Instead of stopping, Quillen fled, and prosecutors say he tried to hide or destroy evidence of the collision. He was also said to have been driving on a suspended licence.
On February 15, 2026, just days before a scheduled Ohio court appearance, Quillen was pulled over near Angola, Indiana, and arrested for drink-driving.
Court filings show the state is recommending sentence of nearly four years in prison. But he could face up to seven years behind bars when he is sentenced.
Quillen has also been ordered to pay $750,538.37 (£560,000) in restitution directly to the Wagler family to cover huge medical and emergency response bills.
The Williams County Prosecutor’s Office said the plea deal was approved by the Wagler family to help them recover costs without facing a long, traumatic trial.
Meanwhile, Quillen is still reportedly due to face a separate Indiana OVI trial in Steuben County on October 22, 2026.
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