A mother of two died in a “freak accident” after a tractor tire fell off and flew towards the throng.
Brandy Horner, 33, was murdered on Friday night (August 11) during a tractor pull at the Union County West End Fair in Pennsylvania, US, when a wayward exhaust wheel struck her in the neck.
She was helped by first responders and off-duty medics before being transferred to a neighboring hospital.
“It was a freak accident,” said fair President Dennis Boop to PennLive.com.
The remaining events at the pulling track were canceled “due to unforeseen circumstances,” while fair activities in the surrounding area continued.
According to police, no foul play or criminality was suspected in the terrible incident.
According to an obituary, the mother leaves behind two sons and her spouse of ten years.
“Her world revolved around family, especially ‘her 3 boys,’ Troy, Blake, and Travis,” it said.
“She also enjoyed baking, gardening and camping with her family. Brandy will be sadly missed by many.”
Leah Spangler, the president of The Learning Lamp where the tragic mum had worked, also paid tribute and called her death a “huge loss”.
“Brandy’s heart was really into her work because she loved working with kids and saw the value in the preschool program,” Spangler told the Tribune-Democrat.
Tractor pulling sees monster farm vehicles race along a track carrying a metal sled and is considered the “world’s heaviest motorsport”, according to the National Tractor Pullers Association.
The vehicle that pulls its sled the furthest distance is declared the winner.
Some of the tractors are shown in videos spewing thick smoke from their exhaust pipes, and the front wheels of some of them even come off the ground.
