Bellevue Iowa: Scene of Tragedy After 4th July Parade (Video)

by Amy Judd | July 5, 2010 at 09:02 am

2559 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

One Person is Dead and 24 Injured After Horses Trampled the Crowd at a 4th of July Parade in Bellevue Iowa

Two horses pulling a buggy in the Fourth of July parade in Bellevue Iowa reportedly got spooked and lunged in to the watching crowd on Sunday killing Janet Steines, 60, and injuring at least 24. The Heritage Day Parade is a tradition, but this is the first accident of this kind when two horses accidentally bumped in to each other and one of the horse's bridles fell off.

“They took off down the street uncontrollably,” Chief Roling said in a telephone interview. “They went about six blocks — the horses and the carriages behind them, running over children and adults along the parade route.”

“I’ve been doing this 35 years and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.

Janet Steines' husband was driving the carriage, but she died from her injuries on Sunday evening at the University of Iowa Hospital.

According to the New York Times, the accident occurred just after 11am, sending people in the 10,000 strong crowd running and screaming for cover. The horses ran for about a quarter of a mile before they ran in to a haybine, then a van and then they were able to be stopped by a number of bystanders.

A few people are still in hospital suffering from broken bones and injuries like a collapsed lung. Chief Roling said that this is one of those unfortunate incidents that happens that no one can see coming.

“This is just something that happens that we can’t prevent,” he said. “It wouldn’t be any different from an accelerator sticking on a car and running through the crowd.”