Police officer unharmed after fall
By Page W. H. Brousseau IV
TIMES STAFF WRITER
A Flint Mounted Police officer avoided serious injury on campus after being thrown from her horse on Nov. 2.
Police Officer Felicia Bradford was riding her mount between French Hall and the University Center on routine patrol when her horse became frightened by a nearby lawnmower and bolted.
Dawn Bums, who witnessed the event, said at first she was surprised to see a mounted police officer on campus, and then after the horse took off she realized something went wrong.
Mark Neumann, who was running the lawnmower, said the horsed passed by him without incident then reared and bolted straight toward the Flint River.
He said Officer Bradford tried to regain control of the horse but fell off to the side, hitting a tree "hard" before falling to the ground.
Neumann rushed to the scene and instructed Officer Bradford not to move to avoid the possibility of further neck injury while he radioed for help.
Within minutes of Neumann's radio request for help, numerous fellow officers had rushed to Officer Bradford's side.
Officer Bradford's sprits were up as EMS personnel were moving her to a nearby ambulance. She said the fall just "knocked the wind out" of her, but she was
rushed to the hospital for examination.
After the accident, the horse involved ran straight to the Mounted Police Stable next to the uncompleted William S. White building, and is also reported to be in good spirits.
© The Michigan Times 2001
