(La Porte County, IN) - On Thursday afternoon at the La Porte County Fair, two children and an adult were injured in collisions stemming from a spooked draft horse taking off.  The names of the injured people were not disclosed.

 

Fair Board President Steve Mrozinski said the adult was taken by medical helicopter after complaining of trouble breathing while the children were transported by ambulance to a hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries.

 

“It was a freak accident,” he said.

The accident happened about 1:30 p.m., a short distance from the draft horse arena on the northwest side of the fairgrounds, along Indiana 2 just west of LaPorte.

 

Some of the children in 4-H, accompanied by adults, were in the arena showing their draft horses, which were pulling riding carts before judges who were scoring the event.

 

Mrozinski said a draft horse outside the arena somehow got spooked, starting running, and struck a cart pulled by another draft horse a short distance from the arena.  A second riding cart nearby was also struck.

 

Mrozinski said the three injured people were knocked out of their carts from the impact.  He said the most seriously injured person was run over by one of the carts.

 

Mrozinski said further details will be provided once the investigation of the accident is completed.

 

About 30 minutes after the accident, a meeting was called in the 4-H Draft Horse Club barn to discuss what happened with about 100 4-H youth and others involved in the activities.  Mrozinski said the main purpose was to ease concerns over what transpired and to resume the showing.

 

Jon Schultz said he was in the arena with a 4-H youth showing one of his draft horses.  Schultz, who lives just outside New Carlisle, said he didn’t see what happened at the beginning but heard the commotion toward the end.

 

“A lot of people were yelling whoa, which is what you’re going to say when you’re trying to stop a horse,” he said.

 

Aaron Coorman of South Bend was also in the arena with his draft horse being shown by a 4-H youth from La Porte County at the time of the accident.  Coorman said he heard people yelling and warning others to get out of the way of the draft horse running loose.  He said there’s always a risk when dealing with large animals like a draft horse, which can weigh as much as a ton or more.

 

“We’re all trying to be safe out here and we’re out here for the kids, so it’s not a good thing but accidents happen,” he said.