The local county seat town has an annual celebration that began with Civil War soldiers and sailors reuniting in 1873. There is a week full of all sorts of events which normally wraps up, more or less, with a big fireworks display at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Unfortunately, things didn't end up normally this year. At least five ambulances were involved and seven people went to a hospital.
Saturday evening featured a singer from The Voice performing on a stage across Main Street while numerous other entertainment was available within a couple of blocks. People could even go for carriage rides around town. The operators of the carriage rides know to shut down by 9:30 and have their horses loaded and out of town by 10:00 as they would not like the fireworks and big boomers. The main performance ended at 9:30 as usual. Everyone then has about 30 minutes to socialize and check out the other neat things until the fireworks begin at 10:00.
Oops. Someone starts setting off the fireworks at 9:30. One horse and empty carriage took off heading east down a street that was basically empty except for parked vehicles. The other horse and empty carriage headed north into an area crowded with hundreds of people. Nearly two blocks later enough people had risked themselves to grab at the harness and carriage to finally bring it to a stop. Meanwhile those setting off the fireworks got the word to STOP NOW! A fellow who has worked with me surveying was one of those holding onto the horse when it finally stopped going forward. It was still scared to death. Other people started figuring out to separate the horse from the carriage and harness. Meanwhile, those who had been run over or brushed roughly were stretched out on the street in pain. Remember this is the very next night after the disaster in Nice, France. The nearest ambulance barn is about three-quarters of a mile from the site of the incident and the crowd could hear the siren almost as soon as the horse was stopped thanks to numerous first responders being in the crowd. Two more ambulances were dispatched immediately from a hospital about 20 miles to the northwest and two more were dispatched from a different hospital about 20 miles to the south. One of those run over was the 10 year-old (+/-) daughter of one of my fellow school board members. He was hit hard enough by the horse that it knocked him out of the way of the carriage.
It was my good fortune to have left early.
Yep, its one thing to have a runaway team in a field plowing. In a crowded place it can go bad quick. I hope everyone is ok.
I must have missed the "Breaking Now" report on cable new. 😉
Seriously, I hope everyone (including the horses) recovers. I bet it was chaos.
paden cash, post: 381429, member: 20 wrote: I must have missed the "Breaking Now" report on cable new. ;).
Breaking news is heartbreaking here.
My neighbor friend who is a first responder in that area of BR is on lockdown there. Don't go outside the station unless it is an emergency.
It's all just "news" until it's in your backyard. Then it is "NEWS". (Hope things get straightened out soon in BR.)
Holy Cow, post: 381432, member: 50 wrote: It's all just "news" until it's in your backyard. Then it is "NEWS". (Hope things get straightened out soon in BR.)
Unfortunately, society needs a more sophisticated mindset that you speak of
Haven't been able to catch up to anyone who knows specifics on the total extent of who was injured and to what level. Sure hope everyone is in better shape than they might be. One fellow estimated the carriage weighed in excess of 1000 pounds and noted that the wooden wheels are very narrow.
Just being hit by a running horse can be lethal. There is a lot of energy in that moving mass.
My daughter's horse was chased by some dogs, she headed straight to her pen as fast as she could. Missed the gate opening and slammed into a 10" dia. cedar fence post I had just gotten replaced a couple weeks earlier.
That post snapped off flush with the ground. Luckily the only injury was a few minor cuts from the fencing.
Powerful animals for sure.
imaudigger, post: 381542, member: 7286 wrote: Just being hit by a running horse can be lethal. There is a lot of energy in that moving mass.
My daughter's horse was chased by some dogs, she headed straight to her pen as fast as she could. Missed the gate opening and slammed into a 10" dia. cedar fence post I had just gotten replaced a couple weeks earlier.
That post snapped off flush with the ground. Luckily the only injury was a few minor cuts from the fencing.
Powerful animals for sure.
Learned today that one accident caused another. As one of the ambulances was speeding towards the runaway horse/carriage incident they hit a deer crossing the highway at a very inopportune time. That ambulance did not make it any further along the way.
Holy Cow, post: 381861, member: 50 wrote: Learned today that one accident caused another. As one of the ambulances was speeding towards the runaway horse/carriage incident they hit a deer crossing the highway at a very inopportune time. That ambulance did not make it any further along the way.
"Cause and effect, chain of events; all of the chaos makes perfect sense..." like the song says.
"Third Rock From The Sun"== Joe Diffie
She walks into Smokey's
one hip at a time
Like a broken field runner
slippin' through the lines
He likes the way she looks
so he calls a little wife
says don't wait up for me,
I'll be workin late tonight.
Wife hangs up the phone bursts into tears
calls her sister up and cries get over here.
Sister tells her boyfriend be back in awhile
boyfriend wants a beer, the store is just a mile.
Leaves the motor runnin' he'll only be a minute,
his car drives away with teenagers in it.
Driver tells his buddies, got one life to live
they scream into the night, lets get it over with.
Cause and effect, chain of events,
All of the chaos makes perfect sense,
When we're spinnin' round,
Things come undone.
Welcome to the earth, third rock from the sun.
The kid guns the gas, car starts to swerve
Heads for a semi-truck, jumps the curb
Truck hits a bigboy in the Shoney's parking lot
Flies through the air, takes out the bank clock
Clock strikes a light pole, transformer sparks
lines go down, town goes dark.
Waitress calls the cops says she saw it all
swears a giant alien has landed at the mall
Cops ring up the mayor says there's panic in the street,
hate to wake you up but we cant find the chief,
mayor says use your head, if he ain't in his car
he's hiding from his wife, down at Smokey's bar
Cause and effect, chain of events,
All of the chaos makes perfect sense,
When we're spinnin' round,
Things come undone.
Welcome to the earth, third rock from the sun.
Cause and effect, chain of events,
All of the chaos makes perfect sense,
When we're spinnin' round,
Things come undone.
Welcome to the earth, third rock from the sun.
Welcome to Earth third rock from the sun.
Welcome to Earth third rock from the sun.
Welcome to Earth third rock from the sun.
Holy Cow, post: 381867, member: 50 wrote: "Third Rock From The Sun"== Joe Diffie
Who needs scientists? Within those words a high-school drop out Okie with a cheap flat-top guitar just explained the entire universe!
