An 11-year-old Sebastian County boy was killed in a horse riding accident Monday morning, according to the sheriff’s department. Family members say the boy is Seth Caraccia, a sixth grader at Lavaca Middle School.
“It's hard to understand how tragedies can happen,” said Billie Bolin, the boy’s grandmother.
Bolin raised Caraccia like her own child. “He loved to talk,” she said. “I mean sometimes there wasn't any way you could shut him down.”
The boy was riding a horse on his family’s property near West Utah Ranch Road in Lavaca when the animal began to trot faster, according to Capt. Chris Johnson. The boy tried to slow the horse down, but it went under a utility pole guide wire, which hit the boy in the neck and knocked him off the back of the horse, Capt. Johnson said.
“It's just one of those things you don't know why it happened and you can't explain how it really happened,” said Bolin. “All we know is we're left with a numbness, and a little hole in our heart.”
Bolin said Caraccia was in the band and learning to play the trombone.
“They were gonna have a little recital for the Christmas program and he was out here tooting that trombone every day,” she said.
Bolin said her grandson loved riding horses with his sister. “He was bound and determined to try to be her cowboy,” she said.
Bolin is thankful for the people praying for her family.
“He's gonna be greatly missed, but I know he's gonna be an awesome angel and I think that's why he was called back,” she said.
Visitation will be held Friday, Nov. 23 from 5-7 p.m. at Edwards Funeral Home in Fort Smith. The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at the same location.
Lavaca students are on Thanksgiving break. Lavaca Superintendent Steve Rose sent 5NEWS a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our students. Our middle school will make counselors available to help students cope with the loss of their friend and fellow student when we return from Thanksgiving Break on Monday."