Shianne Nicole Lane, 7, died Wednesday after being dragged behind a mule, according to Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson.
Correction
This story originally misspelled Shianne Nicole Lane's first name. The error has been corrected.
Shianne loved animals, singing, dancing and her family, her great-grandmother Ashley Ragains said Thursday.
Shianne was looking forward to being in second grade at Lowell Elementary School, the possibility of playing softball and riding horses in the rodeo, Ragains said.
“That mule was her baby,” said Bobby Ragains, Shianne’s great-grandfather. “Shianne would go to the back door and holler, ‘Come to Mama,’ and she’d come right up.”
The incident occurred in the 12000 block of Ervin McGarrah Road, east of Lowell in rural southeast Benton County. The property is owned by Bobby Ragains, according to property records.
An account has been set up at Arvest for the family to help defray funeral expenses. Contributions can be made at any Arvest location.
Investigators found the girl, who was being watched by her grandfather while her father slept, was attempting to ride the mule, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The release said the mule was owned by the family and had been ridden by the family many times in the past.
The girl had the lead rope to the mule tied around her waist, according to the release, when something “spooked” the mule. The mule took off running and dragged the girl around about 3.5 acres, according to the release states.
The mule became entangled and stopped, according to the release.
Cpl. Rick Holland said he discovered family members administering CPR to the girl upon his arrival. Emergency personnel arrived and took over CPR, according to the release.
The girl was taken by Springdale Fire Department ambulance to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale where she was pronounced dead, according to Rogers Morris, Washington County coroner.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident at 9:30 a.m. after a passer-by called emergency services and said he saw a mule dragging a small child.