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John Enger
Bemidji, Minn.

Drunk driver charged in fatal Amish buggy crash in NW Minn.

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An Amish woman was killed Saturday night in northwestern Minnesota when her buggy was rear-ended by a pickup truck. The driver of the truck, who was allegedly intoxicated, faces felony charges.

Mervin Yoder and his sister Elsie were taking the buggy into Clearbrook, Minn., Saturday evening, after dark. Mervin was driving. Sometime after 7:30 p.m., a white Ford F350 pickup truck hit the buggy from behind.

Mervin was taken to a hospital in Bagley, Minn. Elsie was airlifted to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, N.D. She later died of her injuries.

The State Patrol did not release an update on Mervin's condition, but said his injuries were not life threatening.

Officers found the truck driver a half mile north of the crash site, on Minnesota Highway 92. His vehicle had heavy damage to the front end.

According to the criminal complaint, Christopher Kevin Baumann had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. When the officer asked him to get out of the truck for a field sobriety test, Bauman reportedly told the officer to "just get to the point."

A breathalyzer test put Baumann's blood alcohol level at nearly three times the legal limit. Baumann, a 27-year-old pipeline worker from Bemidji, has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide.

According to the criminal complaint, the Amish family's horse had to be put down after its legs were broken in the wreck.