5-year-old girl dies after being struck by starting gate at harness race

EFFINGHAM, Ill. (AP) — A 5-year-old southern Illinois girl has died after a starting gate being hauled by a car prior to a harness race struck her while she was sitting in the grandstand at a county fair. The St. Louis city medical examiner’s office says Harper Finn of Altamont died Wednesday evening at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She was hurt Sunday afternoon at the Effingham County Fair. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office says that while attending the race, the girl was struck by the folding arm of the starting gate attached to a car that failed to close and extended into the grandstand. She was rushed to a local hospital and later airlifted to the St. Louis hospital.