‘Out of control’: Eight taken to hospital after Brockville horse drawn wagon ride goes awry

Multiple people were taken to hospital in Brockville on Thursday, Dec. 12 after a horse drawn wagon lost control on Front Avenue in the area of the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health building.

The Brockville Police Service, the Brockville Fire Department, Leeds & Grenville Paramedics and nearby citizens all came to the scene to help.

Brockville police officer Darryl Boyd told Brockvilleist that a gentleman was offering horse drawn wagon rides to a group that included staff at a nearby business and their clients. During the ride, the Clydesdale horses became agitated and began to run out of control. The horses and wagon struck a parked vehicle and then continued to run westbound on Front Avenue.

Boyd said the driver and some of the passengers were thrown out of the wagon and landed on the ground. The horses continued to run towards Stewart Boulevard and then down Eleanor Street, into a wooded area. There, they became tangled in some shrubbery, allowing officers to gain control of the situation.

“We were very lucky and fortunate they ran into the wooded area when they did, so there wasn’t more damage and injuries,” Boyd noted.

Police say the horses were uninjured in this incident, but eight people were taken to the hospital for varying levels of injuries. All injuries are considered non-life-threatening. No children were involved in the incident.

“The Brockville Police Service is thankful for everyone who came to provide assistance in this unfortunate incident,” Boyd said.