Girl severely injured after falling off horse in Matheran

A nine-year-old girl today sustained serious head injuries after she fell off a horse during a joyride and got dragged by it over a distance in Matheran, a hill station over 80 kilometres from here, police said.

"The incident occurred today around 10:30am at Alexandra Point in Matheran. Rashida Husain Radiowala (9), who was part of a 12-member family group that had come to visit the hill station, fell of a horse," Mahadeo Acharekar, Matheran police station in charge said.

The official said that the horse, due to some unidentified reason, went berserk while the victim was astride it.

"Rashida lost her balance, due to the horse going berserk, and fell off but her foot got caught in the leather straps holding the saddle in place. As the horse continued to gallop ahead, Rashida's head hit the ground several times leading to serious injuries," the official explained.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital by her father but was then shifted to the Intensive Care Unit at Saifee Hospital in Charni Road in south Mumbai, the official added.

"We have made a record of the incident in the police station diary and have also taken the statements of her family members," the official said.