By Kristy Deer
HANCOCK COUNTY — The lure to get out and enjoy the fall weather could have ended tragically this past weekend following two separate incidents involving outdoor activities in the county.
A hayride wagon carrying an estimated 25 people in Wilkinson was struck by an oncoming car Saturday night. The incident resulted in no serious injuries, but the driver of the car has been charged with drunken driving, officials from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said. Earlier in the day, the mini-train ride at Lark Ranch derailed while it was filled with children, sending one child to the hospital with minor injuries, officials from the Greenfield Police Department said.
The train incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Capt. Chuck McMichael, public information officer for GPD, said reports indicated bigger children in the back of the train ride were rocking the train cars shortly before it derailed.
“So when they came around the corner, it tipped over,” McMichael said. “We’ve not ever received complaints of things not being safe out there. This could have been a tragic incident because of kids being kids not realizing the gravity of what they were doing.”
Officials noted everyone was able to get out of the overturned train cars without injury other than one boy, who was briefly pinned under one of the cars. He was taken to the hospital with a minor leg injury.
Officials from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, which regulates amusement rides, are investigating the incident. Amber Kent, communications manager with the agency, said when an amusement ride accident involves injury with medical transport, the ride is shut down, and investigators respond to inspect it.
“The ride in question passed its 2020 annual inspection with no violations,” Kent said in an email to the Daily Reporter.
Homeland Security inspectors conducted a follow-up inspection after the accident and found violations related to damage from the incident. Repairs must occur and the ride must be inspected again for compliance before the ride can reopen. McMichael said Lark Ranch shut down the train ride for the remainder of the day Saturday.
Officials from Lark Ranch also did not return calls. The outdoor entertainment facility’s website indicates it is still open for the season.
In the other incident, deputies responded to a crash in Wilkinson involving a passenger car and a hayride wagon being pulled by a tractor around 8 p.m. Saturday.
Dustin Oakes, 33, of Wilkinson, was southbound in the 6600 block of North County Road 900E in a 2005 Honda when he apparently drifted left of center and struck the corner of the northbound hay wagon, which was filled with about 25 people, said Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department. He said some riders were treated at the scene for minor injuries but that no one was taken to the hospital.
A Shirley Police Department officer was the first to arrive at the scene. Officers discovered open containers of alcohol in Oakes’ car and noted signs of impairment, Harris said.
Oakes was taken to the Hancock County Jail and booked on preliminary charges of driving while intoxicated. He was not listed as an inmate as of Monday, Oct. 19.
“Thankfully no one was hurt,” Harris said. “This crash could have been much worse.”
Harris said the incident should serve as a warning to motorists to be aware of farm implements on county roads during harvest season; and to be aware of trick-or-treaters and other Halloween-related activities.
