“The children were extremely brave”

Three of the injured are critically injured, another five victims have serious injuries

Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard/Facebook

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Several elementary school students were injured while riding in an overturned wagon at the Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard in Lafeyette, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes said in a Facebook post.

The children were students at St. Mark Lutheran School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and were on a field trip to the Lafayette Orchard accompanied by their parents and chaperones. Lafayette is located 58 miles southwest of Madison, Wisconsin.

Twenty-five people, including children and adults, were injured when the tractor-drawn car lost control while going downhill. The driver tried to stop, but the car overturned “abruptly,” Hakes said.

Three of the injured suffered life-threatening injuries, while five others suffered serious injuries. Nine others were transported by ambulance, one by helicopter and others by private vehicles.

All victims were taken to a local hospital, except for the victim in the helicopter, Hakes said in a press conference on Sept. 18. He confirmed that all victims were stable, but could not provide further details at this time.

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“The Chippewa Sheriff's Office responded and the Chippewa County Emergency Management Agency immediately notified the hospital preparedness center of the incoming patients,” Hakes said, adding that cooperating first responders “were able to meet medical needs in a timely manner.”

Responders include the Lake Hallie Police Department, Chippewa Fire District, Chippewa Falls Fire Department, Cadott EMS and Fire, Boyd EMS, Bloomer Ambulance, Eau Claire Fire and EMS, Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Chippewa County Public Health and the Chippewa County Department of Health and Human Services.

Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard/Facebook

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Hakes confirmed that he went to the scene, “helped calm the children” and reunited them with their parents.

“As a parent, the biggest fear of parents is that something will happen to their children, especially when they are so young,” Hakes said during the press conference. “I can tell you, the children were extremely brave and very resilient. I am very proud of each of these children.”

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“The supervisors did a fantastic job,” Hakes noted. “The supervisors and the parents who were on site had plans. They had a list of children and contact information, which was critical in reuniting parents with children.”

Following the incident, school principal Peter J. Micheel issued a statement, according to WQOW 18. “At this time, we are trusting the Chippewa County Sheriff's Department as their personnel were on the scene,” he wrote. “At this time, our focus is on reuniting the children with their caregivers.”

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Representatives from the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office and Bushel and a Peck Apple Orchard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information Thursday.

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