Preliminary events for the 73rd annual Overton County Fair got off to a sad start after a woman was killed when a mule trampled her in the mule pulling competition Friday night, July 15.

According to Overton County EMS Director Jim Morgan, who said he was called to the hospital after the accident as a medical investigator, Donna “Chick” Brown, 49, of Dickson County, died after sustaining injuries in the mule pulling event.

“My understanding was she was holding the mules and they got spooked or something, and she got stepped on,” Morgan said, noting he wasn’t at the fairgrounds at the time of the incident.

Mark Speck was at the arena where the mule pulling was taking place at the time of the accident.

Though he said he didn’t see the incident happen, Speck said that by his understanding, “She (Brown) was standing there holding the mules, and one of them took off and I reckon it knocked her down and stepped on her right in the stomach.”

Speck said contrary to what he had heard others saying, Brown was not dragged.

“She didn’t really get under ‘em or get drug,” he said. “She did go maybe five or six feet. They knocked her down with a front foot and stepped on her with a back foot.”

Speck said Brown did not die at the fairgrounds, but did succumb to her injuries 45 minutes to an hour later at Livingston Regional Hospital.

“I weighed them (the mules) and the pair weighed 1,650 pounds apiece,” before they were harnessed, Speck said.