Horse and carnage - bride's dream ends in terror as animal bolts and leaves her in the road

By Luke Salkeld

It was the biggest day of her life and everything was poised for perfection.

The £2,000 dress fitted Sophie Clarke just so, her father was sitting next to her in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage, and she was heading for the church to marry the man of her dreams.

Then the horse bolted – and instead of looking forward to the wedding that was three years in the planning, the 29-year-old began to fear she would never see her husband again.

Bride Sophie planned to travel to church in a horse-drawn carriage

The jolt had thrown the driver and his assistant from the carriage. With no one at the reins, the terrified animal hit a car and Miss Clarke was pitched over the edge, where she hung dangerously close to a wheel.

As the carriage careered down the busy road, towards a railway crossing, Miss Clarke's father Bob, 56, managed to pull her back into the carriage.

But the horse galloped on, and fearing they would both be killed as it veered into the path of a lorry, he pushed his daughter from the carriage, speeding at up to 35mph, and threw himself out after her. He may have saved her life, but Miss Clarke hit the ground so hard she was concussed. Her big day was over – and it had not even started.

Sophie was rushed to hospital on a stretcher with fiance Karl Woods by her side after being thrown from her bridal carriage

Crash, bang, wallop: A van damaged after the horse bolted

Paramedics arrived and the bride's fiance, Karl Woods, was summoned from St Leonard's Church, in Bretforton, Worcestershire.

'I was waiting at the church when one of my friends came running up and said something terrible had happened to Sophie,' said Mr Woods, 36, who runs a clothes shop in Evesham.

'When we got there she was lying in the road covered in blood with a paramedic telling her not to move.' Miss Clarke, an accountant from South Littleton, was taken to hospital in a neck brace.

The £15,000 ceremony and reception for which she had spent years preparing, was cancelled. Reliving the experience, she said: 'Something spooked the horse. We thought we were going to die because we were heading for the railway crossing.

Pretty: Sophie Clarke, 29, prepares for her big day, which turned into a disaster

'Dad and I embraced each other because we thought it would be for the last time.

'One car did its best to stop the horse and pulled in front to slow it down – but it didn't work.

'Instead the horse just slammed into the car, throwing me right over. I opened my eyes to see the wheel of the carriage just inches away from my face. I was hanging out of the carriage, but luckily Dad had his hand on me.

'Somehow Dad pulled me back in, but when he saw a bend coming up in the road he knew we wouldn't make it and decided to push me out. I hit the ground and it's a bit of a blur from then.'

Radiant: Sophie leaves home for her dream wedding

She added: 'I had spent three years planning the ceremony and had even made handmade invitations. But none of that seems important any more. I am just so glad to be alive.'

The driver and his assistant both received medical attention, but were not badly hurt in the accident, while the horse was found grazing in a field nearby.

And there should be a happy-ever-after for Miss Clarke too. The couple have rescheduled their wedding for January, and are planning a smaller, more intimate ceremony.

She explained: 'I had a life-changing experience. It put into perspective for me that all of the fancy things, the posh invites and parties are not important.

'The only important thing is becoming Karl's wife.'

Original here

Faith Healing Parents Assert Religious Rights

By DEAN SCHABNER

A Clackamas County, Ore., couple accused of letting their infant daughter die by relying on prayer, rather than medicine, today asked that the charges be dropped, arguing that they infringe on their freedom of religion and their right to raise their children in their own way.

Carl Worthington, left, and Raylene Worthington of Clackamas County, Ore., were charged with second...

Carl Worthington, left, and Raylene Worthington of Clackamas County, Ore., were charged with second degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment charges March 28, 2008, after their 15-month-old daughter died from what the state medical examiner said were easily cured illnesses.

(KATU.com)

Carl Worthington, 28, and his wife, Raylene, 25, belong to a church that believes in faith healing, and police said that, instead of going to a doctor when their 15-month-old daughter Ava got sick, they turned to prayer.

The infant girl died March 2 from bacterial bronchial pneumonia and an infection, both of which could have been cured with common antibiotics, the medical examiner said.

The Worthingtons face charges of second degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment charges. They surrendered to police in March, but were subsequently released after each posted $25,000 bail.

The motion filed in Clackamas County Circuit Court by the Worthingtons' lawyer today claims that their prosecution is a violation of the rights guaranteed them under both the state and federal constitutions.

"Mr. and Mrs. Worthington maintain that their prosecution contravenes their right 'to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences,' as guaranteed by the Constitution of the State of Oregon and the Constitution of the United States," the motion said. "Further, Mr. and Mrs. Worthington urge that this prosecution contravenes their fundamental right to raise their children without interference by the State." A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2009.

The Worthingtons are members of the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City, that has a history of shunning medical care in favor of faith healing.

Another Oregon City couple who belong to the same church face similar charges, after their son -- who was Ava Worthington's uncle -- died in June.

Jeffrey Dean Beagley, 50, and Marci Rae Beagley, 46, pleaded not guilty Oct. 3 to criminally negligent homicide charges in the death of their son, 16-year-old Neil Jeffrey Beagley.

Neil died June 17 from complications of a urinary tract blockage, according to medical examiners. The condition, which doctors say is easily treatable, caused kidney and heart failure.

A decade ago, the church received national attention after ABC News affiliate KATU-TV in Portland, Ore., reported that the state medical examiner believed approximately 20 children, whose parents belonged to the church, had died from untreated illnesses that were curable.

For more of KATU's coverage of the case, click here.

After that story broke, the Oregon state legislature changed the law to bar defendants, in most cases, from claiming their religious beliefs prevented them from seeking medical help.

According to the Worthingtons' motion filed today, their case is the first application of that revised statute.

Though the revised law removed the so-called "spiritual healing defense," there is still a provision that allows judges to give parents a lighter sentence, based on their beliefs.

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