A woman crushed against against a concrete bollard by a horse and left her unable to walk at the Grand National on Saturday has spoken of her "terrifying" ordeal.
Footage shows Recite A Prayer and Galvin veering off course after unseating their jockies at the first fence. The horses fell onto their sides at the edge of the grass surface and briefly pinned Jo Nagra, 44, against the barrier, reports the Mirror.
A police officer administered first aid before an ambulance was called and Jo was taken to Aintree Hospital with leg injuries. Jo says it was because of protesters at the race that she was left standing in area next to the bollard.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "We’d have been able to get to our car before the race started if they hadn’t been there. It’s not safe. We were walking back to our vehicle at the Steeplechase car park but we weren’t allowed to leave. They’d had to lock it all down due to protesters trying to get in.
"Instead, we were told to wait in a small area next to the fence while the race was on. We should never have been allowed to stand there. I remember seeing the horses hurtling towards me and it was terrifying.""
The horses were checked over by a vet but sadly another, Hill Sixteen, was killed in a separate incident. Galvin's trainer, Gordon Elliot, confirmed that the horse underwent an X-ray, with Recite A Prayer left with cuts and bruises and a fractured eye socket.
The North West Ambulance Service said: "We can confirm the female patient was hit and crushed against a concrete bollard by a stray horse. She was taken to hospital for lower leg injuries."
Animal Rising protesters entered the course at Aintree and tried to glue themselves to a fence before police and security stepped in.
A statement said: "The majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing but the nine individuals who managed to enter the course were later arrested by officers."
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