Ten people are critically injured after a hayride went wrong last night in Picayune, Mississippi.
Authorities say that a pickup truck collided with an ATV that was hauling a trailer full of people. The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on Friday night on Burnt Bridge Road, near Arrowhead Drive. The rural country back road also has no street lights.
Pearl River County Emergency Management Director Danny Manley said that the hayride intended to be a fun family and friends outing.
According to police, the driver of the pickup truck rear-ended the trailer. The hit was hard enough to send the trailer off the road. Manley said this is how the victims sustained most of their severe injuries. The passengers in the trailer were also not wearing seatbelts of any kind.
While the investigation is still ongoing, there has been no arrest at this time. Patrol Commander Shane Edgar, with the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department, said that alcohol does not seem to be a factor in this case either.
Ambulance and helicopters came to the scene to take the injured patients to numerous hospitals. Some of those hospitals include the Highland Community Hospital in Picayune, Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, and University Medical Center in New Orleans.
All ten of the victims were in critical condition when medical personnel took them from the scene.
Other Deadly Hayride Accidents
In addition, another hayride turned deadly when the driver of the tractor lost control in Illinois.
A 32-year-old mother of three died, and 20 others were hurt.
This has brought to attention the lack of safety rules that apply to hayrides.
A new law was in the works in Maine, named Cassidy’s Law. It comes after a 17-year-old girl died six-year ago from a hayride crash.
However, lawmakers turned the bill down. This is due to that little that can be done to regulate hayrides because there are currently no safety standards.
Due to the use of trailers being for agricultural use and not for recreational, state and federal laws do not apply.
[H/T WLOX]
