MECHANIC FALLS, Maine (AP) — A Halloween-themed hayride loaded with passengers crashed down a hill in the Maine woods and slammed into a tree, fatally injuring a teenage girl and leaving more than 20 other people hurt, police said Sunday.
Seventeen-year-old Cassidy Charette of Oakland died from her injuries after the Gauntlet Haunted Night Ride wagon overturned Saturday night at a rural farm in Mechanic Falls, authorities said.
The crash “threw everyone off the trailer and into each other and into trees,” said Sgt. Joel Davis of the state fire marshal’s office. He said a mechanical problem prevented the SUV pulling the wagon from stopping.
Several actors participating in the ride’s scenes assisted the injured riders — including some performing CPR — and likely helped prevent the accident from being even worse, Davis said.
About a half-dozen of those hurt remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon but their injuries did not appear life-threatening, Davis said.
Charette was among a group of friends who visit Harvest Hills Farm every fall, Davis said. One of her fellow students at Messalonskee High School, 16-year-old Connor Garland of Belgrade, was being treated at Boston Children’s Hospital, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said.
Charette was a member of the school’s girls’ soccer team and scored goals in recent games, according to results in local media. Garland was a member of the Central Maine Owls, a 15-and-under baseball team that won the state championship this year, according to the Portland Press Herald.
The hay wagon was being pulled by a 1979 Jeep when it crashed, according to the fire marshal’s office. The driver, identified by police as David Brown, 54, of South Paris, was among those hospitalized. Brown is an experienced trucker who has a commercial driver’s license, according to a spokesman for the farm.
The sprawling New England farm is set on a forested hill in a rural area about 25 miles southwest of Augusta, set back from a two-lane road. A 10-foot, caged monster statue stands at the entrance to the haunted attraction. The farm also features Pumpkin Land — a daytime attraction.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family,” farm spokesman Scott Lansley said. “We’re a tight community. This is really a tragedy for us.”
Lansley said the tour’s narrator was among the other 19 people authorities said were injured.
The owners have been hosting the haunted ride for about five years without incident, Lansley said. He said Saturday night was a busy night for the ride, with more than 500 patrons. The entire park was evacuated after the crash, he said.
State fire marshals inspect and license mechanical amusement rides in Maine, but hayrides do not require such licensing.
The investigation into the crash is still ongoing and results will be forward to the district attorney to determine if there is criminal liability, Davis said.
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A 79 Jeep? What the hell were they thinking? Dang, just rent a new SUV, and a big one, not a mid size. But a 79 Jeep?
It certainly is old; but then it might’ve been kept in very good condition. Do those old Jeeps also have a reputation for problems? I’m not familiar with them at all.
We had a hayride accident locally a couple of years ago. It was horse drawn and it got out of control going down a hill. The passengers were OK but the young lady driving the horses was paralyzed when she fell between the wagon and the horses and was run over. Seems like hills and hayrides are a bad combination.
Sh*t happens. Hayrides are a popular fall activity all over the country, especially in the north. They almost never cause injuries or problems.
The story didn’t mention what specifically went wrong–did the wagon detach from the jeep, or did the jeep lose brakes? No reason why a 1979 Jeep couldn’t tow a wagon safely.
But if you do enough of anything often enough, there will be a few accidents. Getting crazy over a single incident is an overreaction.
Very sorry about the young woman who lost her life, and other injuries. But a person is still dozens of times more likely to be killed by lightning than by a hayride incident.