MOUNT VERNON — The families whose children were injured by a horse during the Mount Vernon Christmas Parade on Saturday afternoon say they are thankful for the help of some good Samaritans after the accident. They are also thankful the two girls, age 9 and 11, are recovering and weren’t seriously injured.

Marcia Rine of Gambier said her daughter, Stephanie, the 9-year-old who was transported by Mount Vernon Fire Department paramedics to Knox Community Hospital, was home after spending only one night in the hospital.

Rine said the moments immediately after the horse her daughter and niece was riding reared, throwing off both riders, were extremely scary. The horse then reared again and flipped over on the girls. Stephanie, the smaller of the two girls, was thrown to the concrete, under her cousin and the horse.

“I looked down and she wasn’t moving,” Rine said of the initial moments when Stephanie remained unconscious and unresponsive due to a concussion.

Rine admits to panicking during those moments. A man, whom the family does not know but they wish to thank, came out of the crowd and provided assistance, stabilizing Stephanie’s head to prevent damage to her spine, and providing calming reassurance for Rine.

“He was the voice of reason,” Rine said. “He helped to calm me down.”

Rine said she had never seen anyone knocked unconscious, and seeing her daughter unmoving was terrifying.

A young woman came over to calm Rine’s niece, Alisha Hite, the 11-year-old who suffered a minor leg injury in the accident.

According to Alisha’s mother, Monica, the girl sat with Alisha while Monica and Rine tried to help Stephanie.

“We just want to thank everyone who helped,” said Monica.

Rine said the man who came to her assistance and then left without giving his name is someone she would like to thank in person.

“He just quietly walked away when the EMTs got there,” she said.

Stephanie planned to return to school today, after taking a few days to recover from the concussion and a pneumothorax, broken rib and lung contusion.

Rine said she and Monica believe the helmets the girls wore to protect them could have saved them from serious injury or death.

“It 100 percent made a difference,” Rine said. “Neither helmet was cracked, just barely scratched.”

Besides the people who came from the crowd to offer comfort, the families said they would also like to thank those they did not meet on Saturday who have been thinking of their girls.

“Thank you to all who kept them in their prayers,” said Monica. “I know that’s a lot of people.”