“They did have the proper placard on it,” Wheetley said. “We know it had a sign because it is laying behind the carriage. We can tell it was on the carriage.”

The pickup that hit the carriage was a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. It was driven by a 16-year-old boy from Fredericktown, Mo., who was not injured. His passenger in the pickup was a 15-year-old boy from Fredericktown who suffered minor injuries. Both teens in the pickup were wearing seat belts. They stayed at the scene and cooperated with police, Wheetley said.

Wheetley said the pickup driver did not seem to be impaired. There were skid marks before impact, he said. Wheetley said he didn’t know how fast the pickup had been traveling. That would be part of the crash-reconstruction investigation.

Coplin, the coroner who went to the scene, said he doesn't know how fast the pickup was traveling, but he said the pickup's driver wasn't paying attention.

"When you come up on a buggy going 6 or 7 miles an hour ... somebody wasn't paying attention, I think that's what it boils down to," Coplin said.

Buggies on the road