Man is airlifted after accident at track

NEWELL - A man's condition is unknown after he was kicked in the stomach by a horse at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort on Saturday.

An ambulance was requested for the man, who was kicked while he was near the resort's horse paddock, but crews soon discovered that the man would need to be airlifted to a hospital.

Although Mountaineer offered two locations for the helicopter, first responders chose to block state Route 2 and form a landing zone in front of Christie's Cabaret because of safety concerns.

"They (first responders) didn't want to startle the horses or have any problems like that," Hancock County Sheriff Mike White said. "We just went ahead and shut down the road to expedite getting him out of there."

In addition to a Hancock County sheriff's deputy and the ambulance crew, Newell and New Manchester volunteer fire departments were on hand.

The man's name has not been released. The incident was reported at 8:09 p.m.