Hourly Update

City Risk Manager says parade must be insured, unknown who is liable

A 5-year-old girl died after falling from her horse this morning at the Rodeo Parade, police said. The girl, a participant in the parade, was pronounced dead just before 11 a.m. at an area hospital, a police spokesman said. Joel Peterson, the city's risk manager, said the Rodeo Parade Committee is required to get insurance, and the policy must also cover the city for the event. That's the standard policy for any special event, Peterson said. "In this case the Rodeo Committee, because it's in right-of-way, have to obtain insurance that protects the city as well as themselves against third-party liability," he said. Until more details from the Tucson Police Department and from the city's insurance adjuster are available, it won't be clear who could be liable for today's accident, Peterson said. "We're always concerned about the parade happening in the safest fashion possible," he said. "Anytime you have horses and people you know things can happen."