UNITY, Maine — An 83-year-old Newburgh man is facing charges after his truck allegedly hit an Amish horse-drawn cart Saturday evening and he failed to stop.
Robert Veinote was allegedly driving a 1996 GMC pickup truck northbound on Thorndike Road at about 6 p.m. when the truck struck the left side of a trailer cart being drawn by a forecart, which itself was drawn by a team of two horses, according to Maine State Police Trooper Corey Smith.
The horses and cart were occupying most of the northbound shoulder of the road, Smith said, and may have been in part of the travel lane.
“The impact appears to have thrown the two occupants from the forecart and the hay trailer and knocked a horse down,” Smith said.
The operator of the cart, 28-year-old Abner Stoll of Unity, suffered minor cuts and scrapes. His passenger, Jason Stoll, 14, also of Unity was not injured. The horses were uninjured, Smith said. The tire and rim on the cart were damaged, as well as some of the harness equipment.
Veinote allegedly did not stop after striking the cart, but Smith said troopers located the truck, which sustained minor damage.
“He said he didn’t know he’d hit them,” Smith said. “He thought it was debris in the road.”
Veinote was charged with operating without a license, although Smith said additional charges may be forthcoming when the investigation is completed.
Veinote is due in Belfast District Court on April 24.