Horses dragged driver as he tried to stop

Associated Press

BELLEVUE, Iowa

The buggy driver whose horses trampled spectators at this town’s Fourth of July parade had tried desperately to stop the rampage, clinging to the reins as the animals dragged him down the street, his family said Monday.

Mardell Steines was in the buggy with his wife, Janet, his daughter-in-law, his 7-year-old grandson and his 5-year-old granddaughter Sunday when the horses bolted toward the end of the parade, injuring 24 people and killing Janet Steines.

Police said the horses were spooked after they rubbed heads and the bridle fell off one of them. The animals went on a rampage over six blocks, plowing through spectators and children stooping to snatch up candy that had been tossed along the parade route.

“If he ever envisioned a situation would happen that would cause harm to others, it would have destroyed him,” said Ken Walsh, whose daughter was in the buggy.

The buggy struck a combine in the parade and a road sign, Walsh said. Janet Steines was thrown out and struck a concrete driveway. She died at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

The hitch came undone, and the carriage separated from the horses, running over Steines as he held onto the reins, said Walsh, 61, whose daughter, Jenny Steines, is married to Steines’ son.

At least 15 of the injured were children, according to police.

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