Girl, 12, dies after horse falls on her and 4-year-old sister

Horse-riding accident has tragic consequences for two sisters

A tragic horse riding accident in California ended in the death of a 12-year-old girl, and serious injuries to her 4-year-old sister.

The girls were apparently riding unsupervised when a horse fell on them in Lake View Terrace on the evening of the 10th 0f July 2018.

The 12-year-old who was killed was identified by authorities as Yolanda Ceja. Yolanda was pronounced dead at 8:41 p.m. at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The  Los Angeles Fire Department reported that it was called to the Lake View Terrace Recreation Center at 8 p.m. and that the older girl was "pulseless and non-breathing", while the younger child had injuries that were at first believed to be not life-threatening.

The 4-year-old was later diagnosed as severely injured and is in a critical condition at the Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Read more about the Lake View Terrace incident on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

The LAPD has described the death as an accident and no further investigation is expected to take place.

Virginia Hawthorne, who teaches gymnastics on horses at Valley View Vaulters across the street from where the accident occurred, said she believes the horse the girls were riding might have been spooked by a car or a sudden noise and reared up, and then fallen on the two children 

The girl's family are at the bedside of the 4-year-old who remains in intensive care in critical condition. Details of her injuries have not been released.