A horse that lost its rider ran into the spectator area at the Pardubice racecourse yesterday, injuring four people, including a child, according to regional police spokeswoman Marketa Janovska. She added that the injuries are not life-threatening.
A woman and a child were taken to hospital by ambulance after the accident, one man was treated at the scene, and another injured man sought treatment on his own, Janovska said.
The police are investigating the case and are waiting for medical reports.
Horse Racing Association spokeswoman Katerina Anna Nohavova described the incident as “unfortunate”.
“One child was transported to a hospital in Pardubice with a minor injury to the upper part of her body. She was accompanied by her mother,” Alena Kisiala, spokeswoman for the Pardubice regional emergency service, told CTK.
Police are investigating whether the spectators were standing in a designated space. The police spokeswoman called on witnesses who had photographs and video footage of the incident to provide them to the investigators.
The horse jumped over a fence and ran in front of the stands. “It was an unfortunate incident,” said Nohavova. “The home straight is separated from the area in front of the stands by a barrier, a hedge, behind which there is a lane, and then another normal fence. The horse managed to jump over all that. If he had a rider, it would not have happened.”
According to Nohavova, no-one from the Racing Association remembers such an incident at the racecourse before, and the association is therefore not yet considering changing security measures for visitors. “No mistake or defect occurred, it was a completely extraordinary and unfortunate event,” Nohavova said.
