Child dies following accident at harness racing track in Woodstock, N.B.
Police in Woodstock, N.B., are investigating a death that occurred during Saturday's harness racing card at Connell Park Raceway.
In a social media post late Saturday, police say that they were investigating a "tragic incident" that resulted in a fatality.
Theresa Blackburn, a reporter for the River Valley Sun in Woodstock, said it was a three-year-old boy who was killed.
She was in touch with Deputy Police Chief Simon Watts on Saturday.
Watts confirmed to Blackburn that the accident happened when the boy was struck by the starting gate, she said.
She said: "There really is a pall over the community. I mean it's Father's Day weekend. Harness racing is big here. We're now the hub for harness racing and it's always a joy to have them here when … the horses are running and there's crowds, and it's just devastating and everyone is talking about it but not in a good way. It's just really quite horrifying for everybody right now."
In Saturday's harness race video, the announcer can be heard calling for an ambulance shortly after the second race begins. It is not clear from the video exactly what happened.
Racing continued for the remainder of the afternoon.
The track will remain closed until the investigation is completed.
More to come.
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