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Hayride tragedy: 1 killed, nearly 2 dozen injured when hayrack ride overturns

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ill. — A Hamilton, Illinois, woman was killed and nearly two dozen other people were injured when a hayrack ride overturned Saturday night, ejecting several passengers.

According to an Illinois State Police news release, Wayne York, 41, of Nauvoo was towing a tractor-trailer with over 20 passengers riding on square hay bales, KHQA reported.

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Illinois State Police Capt. Jon Dively Jr. told WGEM that between 20 and 25 people were participating in a family event that included the hayride.

Dively said York lost control of the vehicle on an incline, causing the tractor and wagon to slide down into a wooded ravine. York has been cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, WGEM reported.

The 32-year-old Hamilton woman killed in the crash has not been identified.

According to the crash report, three adults and 16 children, ranging in age from 1 to 12, were on the trailer when it crashed, and all but two were transported to area hospitals for medical attention, WGEM reported.

Dively told the TV station that one of the children suffered “significant” injuries and said the preliminary investigation has revealed the tractor used for the hayride was undersized.