It has been a day of tears in the town of Shelburne, where the community is mourning the tragic death of a 12-year-old girl.
The girl was preparing to ride a horse on Saturday in the annual parade for the town’s ‘Fiddlefest’, when police say the horse reared up, causing her to fall. The horse then fell onto her.
She was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.
Shelburne Police Constable Paul Neumann says the incident was witnessed by hundreds of people, and has hit the community hard.
“It’s one of those traditions here in town, a parade that hundreds of people were lined up for” Const. Neumann told CTV News on Sunday afternoon.
“Hundreds of participants were right here in the staging area. Her family and some of her close friends were right by her when this happened."
A teddy bear with a small card was left at the scene on Sunday morning.
Resident George Cottingham stopped by to take a look, struggling to put his thoughts into words.
“Just to have a look I guess,” he said. “It's a terrible thing. The whole town is sad, I'm sure."
"Today, you don't hear anything around, normally it's a busy place," says resident, Bob Giles. "It hits home because its like family, we're all family. It could be your kid. It's a life, you know."
Police believe the horse was owned by the girl, but it’s unclear what caused the animal to rear up.
Shelburne Police and the Coroner’s Office are investigating, but police are confident the incident will be classified as an accident.
