SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) — A 14-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was struck by a tractor towing a trailer at Seven Cedars Farm Haunted Hayride on Saturday night.
Smithfield Deputy Fire Chief Steven Quattrini tells 12 News the teen has internal injuries with fractures to her lower extremities.
The victim was one of the actors at the farm, according to officials. She reportedly got caught under the trailer and was struck by the back tires.
The driver stopped immediately and officials say they needed the help of 20 to 30 people to pull the trailer off the girl.
Smithfield Superintendent Dawn Bartz says the teen is a student at Smithfield High School. She said the accident was witnessed by several community members, including other high school students.
“I would like our families to know that we have a full counseling support team in place at Smithfield High School to assist students beginning Monday morning,” Bartz said.
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The superintendent said she was able to meet with the victim and her family at the hospital Sunday morning, but provided no update on the teen’s condition.
In a social media post on Sunday morning, Seven Cedars Farm said, “We are absolutely devastated by this incident and we want to send our thoughts and prayers to the actor and her family involved. We are completely heartbroken over this and we hope she has a speedy recovery!”
The farm said their haunted hayride will be closed for the remainder of the season, and all tickets purchased online will be refunded.
Seven Cedars Farm also thanked first responders and people on the hayride who stepped in to help.
Quattrini says the farm applies for a permit to run the hayride each year. He added that a meeting will be held in the near future to talk about safety.
The incident remains under investigation.