5-year-old seriously hurt after mishap in horse race at county fair, Illinois cops say

A 5-year-old girl attending a horse race at an Illinois county fair was seriously hurt in a mishap involving the starting gate, police say.

It reportedly happened Sunday, July 30, at the Effingham County Fair in south-central Illinois.

Effingham County Sheriff’s officials said the extending starting gate of a harness race somehow entered the grandstand, striking 5-year-old Harper Finn, according to Effingham Radio.

It’s believed the starting gate “didn’t fold correctly or was still extended” when it hit Harper, Sheriff Paul Kuhns told WTWO. It flew into the stands as Harper was throwing something away, according to WCIA.

“If you haven’t seen a pace car it’s a little difficult to explain. But the car has two large wings on the back that when they start off the races it keeps all of the horses in order,” Kuhns told WTWO. “It keeps them from passing the pace car. But after they get the horses started and, on the pace, then those gates, those wings, fold up along the side of the car and the car can go on or turn off.”

Harper was flown to a St. Louis hospital, WAND reported. Sheriff’s officials said she suffered a “serious injury,” according to Effingham Radio, but the extent of her injuries is unknown.

It’s the first injury of this magnitude to occur at the annual fair, Effingham County Fair Board President Phil Hartke told the Effingham Daily News.

“It’s such a tragedy and we feel it down to almost every person, because we’re such a tight-knit community,” Kuhns told WCIA.

The Effingham County Fair canceled its remaining horse races for the fair.

Effingham is about 100 miles northeast of St. Louis.

This story was originally published August 1, 2023 at 11:44 AM with the headline "5-year-old seriously hurt after mishap in horse race at county fair, Illinois cops say."