McCuen v. Peoria Park District

On July 4, 1989, Jennifer McCuen, one of the plaintiffs in this matter, was celebrating her birthday at W.H. Sommer Park in Peoria, Illinois. The park was owned and operated by defendant, Peoria Park District. As part of a "country birthday party,” Jennifer and some of her friends planned to take a mule-drawn hay-rack ride. A park district employee instructed the members of the birthday party to climb onto the hay-rack. While the employee was harnessing the mules, he slapped a strap over the body of one of the mules, causing the mule team to suddenly bolt and run off with the driverless…