Accident during the Fourth of July parade in Bellevue on Sunday, July 4, 2010, during which two horses broke free and killed one and injured 23 people. (Bill Kass)
BELLEVUE, Iowa (AP) — A judge says two lawsuits over a stampede during a Fourth of July parade in Bellevue in 2010 can be combined with one jury trial.
The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque says Jackson County Judge David Sivright approved the request to consolidate the lawsuits filed by the parents of two children injured in the incident.
Two dozen people were hurt when a team of horses bolted during the parade. The owner of the horses, Mardell Steines, was driving a buggy with his wife, Janet and three relatives. Janet Steines was thrown from the buggy and died.
The lawsuits alleged Mardell Steines and the city were negligent.
The judge approved the consolidation without comment.
