In the blink of an eye

Our 4th of July started off with excitement and anticipation and ended with sadness and disbelief.  Did that really just happen? we all thought as we saw the horses and carriage go racing past us along the parade route in Bellevue, Iowa.  Thankfully no one in our family was hurt.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were hurt and with the family who lost a dear loved one that day.

The morning began with the boys' preparations to ride in Papaw's yellow '68 Chevy truck in the parade.  Candy was gathered in bags to be thrown out along the route, seats and strollers were loaded up and we all headed uptown.  Mom, Andy and I took a separate car and went to find where Papaw, Joe, Zack and George were lined up for the parade.  We snapped a photo and went to find a spot along the parade route to enjoy the event.  Thankfully we picked a seat on the shady side of the street which ultimatley meant much more than we could have imagined. 

Mom and I settled in to enjoy the parade and I remember thinking what a sweet, simple tradition this is.  People are so proud of their antique tractors, cars, and floats they've put work into.  Everyone was throwing candy to the kids and the marching band's drums got our toes tapping.  We spotted Dad's truck in the line-up only to see them wait for a few more floats to go in front of them.  Andy decided to scoop up candy along the curb with my help.  Finally I saw Dad's truck headed our way and snapped another photo of his truck in the line-up.  Then I heard people shouting, "Move out of the way."  I thought they were telling the kids to move back from the big truck in front of us so they didn't smoosh their fingers under the tires.  Suddenly two horses pulling a carriage went flying by next to the big truck.  The woman on the carriage was yelling, "Stop them!" and two kids were in the back of the buggy.  One of the horses slammed into an antique farm implement further down the road, then they kept going and we couldn't see anything.  It was silent.  100s of people standing there thinking, did we really just see that?  Cell phones started buzzing and we all stood in shock.  Until later, we had no idea the horses ran for a total of 8 blocks trampling people along the way.  We didn't know the carriage eventually hit a sign, sheared off and the horses kept going.  Our neighbor said he didn't even know there was a carriage, only the horses ran by them.  What about the lady on the carriage?  What about the kids in the back?  All of these pieces came together later.  For now, all we knew is what my mom said, "that was the scariest thing I've seen in a long time." 

Joe saw the horses coming from where he sat in the back of Dad's truck.  He saw the man originally driving the carriage pulling the reins and being drug on the ground trying to stop the horses.  The man eventually couldn't hold on any longer, let go and then was run over by the carriage.  He jumped up and tried to run after the buggy.  The horses almost side-swiped Dad's truck and kept going.  Our kids in the back were okay.  And since we picked the shady side of the street, Andy, Mom and I were on the opposite side of where the carriage went by so little Andy was okay too.  Instantly people were being told to move over so emergency vehicles could get down the street.  The lady on the carriage, Janet Steines, died later that day after being air-lifted from a Dubuque hospital to the Univ. of Iowa medical center.  The children in the back of the carriage are reported to be okay with only bumps and bruises.  Many more were hurt.  We heard bits and pieces from friends who saw it from their vantage point along the route.  "Where were you sitting?" 

In the blink of an eye, a wonderful, small-town celebration of our country turned into a sad tragedy.  In the blink of an eye, we witnessed something we hope to never see again.  We'll keep praying for everyone in Bellevue and all those involved for healing, strength and courage to move on.  May God bless them all.