MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Families say a freak accident led to three people getting hurt when they were riding a horse-drawn wagon this past weekend in Iredell County.
Some of the others on that wagon told Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz that they don’t think anyone is to blame for what happened.
It all happened during the Lazy 5 Ranch Fall Festival. Goetz talked to one family who was on the same wagon when the accident happened. They said they believe if it weren’t for the actions of their guide, it could have been a lot worse.
The Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville has been open for almost 30 years and is now home to over 750 animals from six different continents.
On Saturday, Ryan Schnulle, his mother-in-law, and their family decided to visit.
“One minute everything was good, and at the snap of a finger, everything was completely wrong,” Schnulle said.
Schnulle says his family signed up for a wagon ride. While feeding the animals, Schnulle says a tree branch fell on the wagon. That spooked the horses, causing them and the wagon to abruptly take off.
“I didn’t even see anything. The next second I was on the ground and thinking, ‘When’s one of these horses going to stop?’” Schnulle said.
“My husband was trying to catch me, but he was falling as well, so he couldn’t catch me. So my rib hit the centerpiece seat, and I just kept falling on down,” Wanda Schnulle said.
According the Lazy 5 Ranch, three people on the back of the wagon were thrown off, severely hurt and taken to the hospital.
According to a GoFundMe, one of the women had part of her skull removed in surgery due to her brain swelling and bleeding.
Schnulle says without the quick action of their guide he believes it could have been much worse.
“She controlled the horses real quickly. She did her job very professionally,” Schnulle said.
We reached out to Lazy 5 directly today but have not heard back. They were back open again on Monday.
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