Bride thrown from horse-drawn carriage

Katie Dawson,Pa
Sunday 14 December 2008 13:20 GMT
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A bride was rushed to hospital on her wedding day after being thrown from the horse-drawn carriage she was travelling in, paramedics said today.

The 29-year-old woman was sitting with her 56-year-old father in the carriage when the horse "got spooked" and bolted.

She suffered a bump to her head and injuries to her ankle and was taken to hospital by ambulance just before 1pm yesterday.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was unclear whether the bride and her father were ejected from the carriage or jumped to save themselves as the horse ran off in the village of Blackminster, near Evesham, Worcestershire.

The drama continued as the 60-year-old carriage driver, along with his assistant, chased after the horse but slipped and was run over by the carriage.

The bride and her father - who suffered chest pains, bruising to his elbow and a leg injury - were taken to Worcester Royal Hospital.

The carriage driver, from Evesham, suffered grazing and was taken to the same hospital as a precaution.

An ambulance spokesman said three ambulances and a rapid response vehicle were sent to two locations, between Badsey and South Littleton, to deal with the incident.

He said: "It appears as though the 29-year-old bride and her 56-year-old father were travelling in the carriage with a driver and assistant when the horse got spooked.

"All four occupants got off the carriage in one way or another as the horse started to bolt with the carriage still attached.

"Our hearts really do go out to everyone involved in the wedding. This was such an unfortunate incident.

"However, given what happened, there is no doubt that the situation could have been considerably worse with the possibility of people suffering serious injuries a real possibility.

"Thankfully that did not prove to be the case."

The spokesman said the wedding was unlikely to have gone ahead as the bride, who has not been named, was still in hospital at 5pm yesterday.

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