Girl Dies, Sister In Critical Condition After Tragic Horse Accident

LAKE VIEW TERRACE (CBSLA) — A girl has died after a horse she and her sister were riding fell on them.

The girls, ages 12 and 4, were riding Tuesday night as their mother was guiding the horse at the Lake View Terrace Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Blvd.

For some reason, the horse became spooked and bucked, falling backward on the girls, who lost the reins.

Twelve-year-old Yolanda Ceja was gravely injured and later pronounced dead at a hospital. The 4-year-old girl was listed in critical but stable condition with a punctured lung. Her family is waiting to see if the girl will need surgery.

"At the time we got to the hospital, we were able to see my niece but to say 'Good-bye,'" said the girl's aunt. "[The parents] are experienced, they know what they're doing, they're always next to the kids next to the horse, so this was just a tragic accident."

Lake View Terrace is an equestrian area, and neighbors were shocked by the tragic accident.

Yolanda's aunt, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had ridden the horse herself.

"It's a safe horse, nothing happened to us," the woman said. "My cousin knew how to walk around with the horse."

"This is a ranch neighborhood, Lake View Terrace, you know, and a lot of people ride their horses up and down the streets, on the trails and stuff," resident Rey Zapata said.

The 4-year-old has a punctured lung. Her family is waiting to see if the girl will need surgery.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)