Oct. 25 (UPI) — A woman was killed and at least 17 were injured, including children, when a hayrack ride overturned in rural Illinois on Saturday night.
Illinois State Police in Hancock County, in western Illinois, near Nauvoo, said around 9 p.m., the driver of a green John Deere tractor pulling a rack wagon “lost control and ran off the right side” of the road onto an incline, causing the tractor and wagon to slide down a ravine. The driver and multiple passengers were ejected.
Capt. Jon Dively Jr. told WGEM-TV that a 32-year-old woman from Hamilton was killed.
Three adults and 16 children between the ages of 1 and 12 were on the trailer ride, which was being held as part of a family gathering. All but two people were taken to a hospital with injuries. One of the children suffered serious injuries, police said.
The tractor driver, age 41, was given a traffic citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. ISP investigators said the tractor was “undersized” for the ride.
