FOX 4 WFTX - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples News, WeatherSigning scheduled for Fla. horse helmet law
Member Center:
Associated Press - June 8, 2009 9:24 AM ET
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida's governor is scheduled to sign a bill requiring children under 16 to wear a helmet while riding a horse on public roads.
The bill signing is scheduled Monday for a park in Loxahatchee. It's named for Nicole Hornstein, a 12-year-old Palm Beach County girl who died in 2006 after being thrown from a horse she was riding. She was not wearing a helmet.
Hornstein's family has tried since 2007 to get similar legislation passed.
Under the bill (HB 169), any person who allowed a child to ride a horse without a helmet would be fined $500. Some Florida cities already have laws that require minors to wear helmets when riding, but the bill would make helmets mandatory around the state.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
