Halloween. A celebratory holiday filled with spooky costumes, candy-ridden teeth, and a whole lot of trick-or-treating. Any grave tragedy that strikes on Halloween is as unexpected as it is.
People reported an unfortunate and unseen incident that can only be counted as an ominous incident in Rhode Island on Saturday, where a 14-year-old girl was critically injured when hit by a haunted hayride tractor. An NBC affiliate, WWLP-TV, reported via People that the incident took place at Seven Cedars Farm in Smithfield. The 14-year-old got run over by a tractor towing a haunted hayride and was caught under the trailer’s back tires, as reported by the authorities.
Per the news outlet, acquired by People, Smithfield Deputy Fire Chief Steven Quattrini said, “The individual that was struck was an employee there, she was an actor there, and she got caught up underneath the trailer and got dragged enlarged with the rear wheels,” adding, “It was fortunate the operator of the tractor when he realized there was a problem going on behind him stopped it immediately, he was assisted by other occupants that were on that trailer and physically had to lift it up.” Additionally, Quattrini told CBS affiliate WPRI that the child suffered an internal injury and multiple fractures to the lower extremities.
Via information shared by the WPRI on the teen, People reports that she is a student at Smithfield High School, according to Smithfield Public Schools Superintendent Dawn Bartz. According to the educational institute, the gory accident was witnessed by several authorities and high schoolers. “I would like our families to know that we have a full counseling support team in place at Smithfield High School to assist students beginning Monday morning,” per Bartz. Seven Cedars Farms also noted that that incident marks the end of the Hayride for this season.
They posted this update on a Facebook post where they wrote, “We are absolutely devastated by this incident and we want to send our thoughts and prayers to the actor and her family involved,” adding, “We are completely heartbroken over this and we hope she has a speedy recovery!” (via People)
Additionally, the farm also sent out a thank you letter to the police and personnel who took such swift action at the scene of the accident and took care of the injured teen. The post read, “We apologize that we had to stop the hayride but we felt like it was the right thing to do and there was no way we [could’ve] carried on after that,” continuing, “We apologize to those on the wagon itself who had to witness this incident and are truly grateful to those who stepped in to help at the scene.”
Such forlorn tragedies can be avoided with a little more responsibility and monitoring during busy holiday seasons such as Halloween. With stricter protocols followed diligently by all participating parties, such freak accidents can be avoided in the future, even when they are least expected.