WARREN, Pa. — A Warren County man alleged to have to have struck an Amish buggy with his van — injuring the driver and killing the horse — was held for court as a result of a Wednesday preliminary hearing.

Gary L. O’Donnell, 67, of Sugar Grove was charged by Warren-based Pennsylvania State Police in late March from the incident that occurred on Feb. 19.

Troopers were dispatched to the scene — Jackson Run Road near the Dollar General in Sugar Grove Township — on Feb. 19 at approximately 6:30 p.m. and learned that a white van traveling south had rear-ended a buggy.

“Due to the impact,” police say in the affidavit of probable cause, “the horse was killed and the buggy was demolished” while the van fled southbound without stopping. “The buggy was discovered to be legally equipped with rear lighting and an orange triangle.”

Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Jennifer Bovee walked through a series of photos of both the subject vehicle as well as parts of the vehicle from the crash scene that she said matched the suspect vehicle.

She said O’Donnell’s vehicle showed “extensive front end damage” and that troopers at the crash scene told her that the buggy was “in shambles” and that the “horse was deceased.”

The affidavit states that the victim initially reported he wasn’t injured but agreed to go to the hospital, where it was discovered that the victim “had suffered broken vertebrae in his neck and a concussion.”

Two witnesses at the scene — who were driving in the opposite direction — reported to police they observed the buggy and “noticed the white van coming south at a high rate of speed.

“They stated as they got closer to the buggy they veered over to their right to give the southbound white van room to pass the buggy to its left. The witnesses stated the white van never slowed down or braked and just ran right into the back of it and continued on southbound without stopping.”

Bovee testified she made contact with O’Donnell at his residence about 45 minutes after the first call came in.

“He said ‘I hit a buggy. I’m not quite sure. It was dark,'” she testified, noting that O’Donnell ultimately failed field sobriety tests.

A blood draw ultimately returned a result of .214, though police say O’Donnell admitted to drinking a couple beers before the crash but additional alcohol after.

District Attorney Rob Greene highlighted O’Donnell’s eight prior DUI convictions but O’Donnell’s attorney, Grant Travis argued that wasn’t relevant as only one had occurred in the last 10 years, which is how DUIs are handled at sentencing.

Travis argued that District Judge Laura Bauer, who presided over the hearing, was allowing the Commonwealth a “great deal of deference on hearsay today” and said the Commonwealth produced no medical information showing that the victim sustained serious bodily injuries, the crux of the most serious charge in the case.

Greene said a broken neck meets that definition and is an “issue for a jury to decide.”

He said the victim had a hard time coming to the hearing and didn’t make it, noting that it might be because his horse is dead and his buggy is in pieces.

Bauer said her concern is whether the definition of serious bodily injury has been met but said no opinion on that issue can made as the injuries are part of an “ongoing condition.”

She then bound all of the charges over to the Court of Common Pleas.

Those charges include aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, three counts of DUI, accident involving damage to attended vehicle/property, accidents involving death or personal injury, fail to stop and give information or render aid, reckless driving, careless driving — serious bodily injury, careless driving, failure to notify police of accident — injury or death and fail to use safety belt, according to online court records.