In the last few months there have been a few horse trailer accidents in my area. I hate hearing about these accidents and wish there was some way that we could get people to pay more attention. I will explain the 3 accidents that have happened recently and then tell you about my close call a month ago. The information that I am about to give of the recent trailer accidents is from the news, newspapers and from people, so hopefully it will be accurate.
Just the other day, someone was hauling a horse in a small, straight load trailer on the freeway. A woman in a car driving 80 mph fell asleep at the wheel and her car clipped the back of the horse trailer. The force of the collision caused the horse trailer to come unhitched from the pickup truck, at freeway speeds. The horse trailer flipped onto its left side and skidded down the freeway. The local Fire Department had to use the "Jaws of Life" to cut open the trailer so the horse could be rescued. The driver of the pickup towing the trailer is okay and the horse survived, apparently with no serious injuries. The woman driving the car that hit the horse trailer was cited for negligent driving in the second degree and driving while suspended.
Back in July there was another horse trailer accident. A Dodge Durango SUV crossed the center line of a highway and hit the side of a horse trailer that was carrying 2 Champion Dressage horses. After the SUV hit the horse trailer, it then hit another pickup and a semi-truck. The wreck started a fire that left the semi-truck burnt beyond recognition. The horses in the horse trailer were unhurt, as well as the people towing the horse trailer. The driver of the SUV had serious injuries and the semi-truck driver had burns.
Now before I get to the next story, I want to talk a little about the two above mentioned stories. These accidents were caused by other drivers that were being careless in their driving. These accidents did not need to happen if the car and SUV driver paid better attention or stayed awake at the wheel. I get so sick and tired of driver's like them. I haul horses a lot. I haul my own horses and I haul horses for my job. I witness a lot of stupidity by other drivers, zipping in and out of traffic, speeding, cutting people off and tailgating. Since I can't rely on other people to be good, safe drivers, I have to take matters into my own hands. I have always been extra cautious when hauling my horses and the farm horses. I watch other drivers, I check my side mirrors constantly, when people merge onto the freeway and they just have to race to get in front of my truck and trailer (god forbid they get "stuck" behind a "slow" vehicle!), I slow down to let the idiot in. I drive the speed limit, if not a little below. I don't switch lanes unless I need too. Now I am not saying all horse trailer drivers are "careful". I have witnessed many trucks towing horse trailers speeding, going in and out of traffic and cutting other regular vehicles off. It does happen. But this is not how I drive. But I do think the majority of people hauling horses are careful, at least from what I have witnessed and I just wish "other" drivers were just as careful when on the roads.
Now this next story is pretty gruesome. If you do not want to hear about what happened to this horse, please skip down to the bottom of this post. Back in June, a woman and 2 other people were hauling a horse down the road from where I go trail riding. The road has some curves to it and the speed limit is 35 mph. The horse somehow fell out of the trailer and was dragged down the road, for over 2 miles. The people that witnessed this were trying to get the attention of the driver of the truck and trailer, honking, swerving, anything to get this driver to stop. The road was covered in blood, skin and body parts of the horse. By the time the driver realized something was wrong and stopped, it was too late. I have heard 2 different endings of this story, that the horse had to be shot in the head to put it out of its misery, or the horse was dead by the time the driver stopped. Anyways, this is not a happy ending for this horse. A lot of local residents were in an uproar over this incident. They could not believe that this woman, or the other 2 occupants of the truck, did not know something was wrong. They wanted this woman charged with negligence, which did not happen. From what I have heard is that the woman did not show much remorse about the horse and left it on the side of the road for awhile. Now, since I did not witness this, I can't really say how I feel about the woman not being charged. Also I do not know the circumstance's on how the horse fell out, was the trailer door not shut? Was the trailer driver being negligent, speeding, or using unsafe equipment? Again, I do not know the answer to those questions.
But what I do know is that besides being a careful driver, I am also very tuned in to what I can hear and feel in my trailer. I do not drive with loud music, actually my music is usually turned down really low so I can barely hear it. I can feel every movement, kick, paw and shift in weight. I even drive with my window down partially so I can hear better. I am not saying that you can hear every little thing that goes on in the trailer, and I am sure there is a lot that I don't hear. But I still find it hard to believe that this woman did not know something was "wrong". I have never drug a horse behind a trailer, but I would think you could tell something didn't feel right.....I mean seriously, if you can feel a horse pawing in the trailer, but can't feel a 1000 lb animal being drug down the road? Even if the woman realized something was wrong sooner, the horse still probably would have had serious injuries but maybe it could have survived. This was a very difficult story to hear about and hopefully one that I will never hear about again.
There is a gruesome photo of the bloody "drag" marks going down the road. I have gone back and forth on whether I should post it or not. It was enough to make the hair stand up on my arms. I decided I would, only because I hope it will prevent another dragging death. Double check those trailer doors and floors, make sure everything is working properly and floors aren't rotting. If you do not want to view this picture, please scroll down now!
Now about a month ago, my sister and I were on our way back from a trail ride. We were almost to my neighborhood entrance. Right before the entrance, is a road on the left that goes to the freeway. There is a stop sign for those that come from the freeway that are going to turn right or left (you can't go straight from this road, only right or left) onto the road I was traveling on. I do not have a stop sign, which means I have the right of way. I am always very cautious coming to this intersection, because I have almost been hit a few times by people running the stop sign. On this day and any other day I am hauling my horse trailer, I slowed down to about 25 mph as I came upon this road. A truck came up to the stop sign and decided to just run the stop sign and turn left right in front of me, which gave me no time to react. I did not want to slam on the brakes, which would have thrown the horses around in the trailer or cause my trailer to jack knife, so I tapped my breaks a few times. If the truck that pulled out in front of me ended up T-boned, he would have paid dearly, probably with his life. Now I freaked out of course, because this is not something that I want to do, hit someone, but I also have to consider the live animals I am hauling. I laid on the horn and screamed all sorts of obscenities (I am sure he couldn't hear what I was saying, even though his window was down) and just missed him by inches. My poor sis had to hear me go on and on about how tired I am about people not stopping there and about how many near accidents I have had at that intersection. I have thought about contacting the city, but they have already made some changes by putting in the biggest stop sign I have ever seen in my life there and adding a sign that says "cross traffic does not stop". But has this helped? NO! This is what is wrong with people today, they are always in a hurry to get somewhere (most of the people that are turning left here are going to the casino that is a few blocks up the road), and for someone to see a truck towing a big trailer coming down the road, without their turn signal on (means they are most likely NOT turning) and to still pull out right in front of them? Looking for a death wish?!?! So no matter how careful of a driver I am, I am always watching out for other idiots on the road.
Everyone stay safe out there hauling your beloved cargo around, keep an eye out for those crazy drivers and always check your trailer for any safety issue's, inside and out!!
33 comments:
I hauled my young filly for the first time last weekend , and was determined to give her a good experience in the trailer.That can be tough on the highway I travel, it has bee widened to a 4 lane but people are still a little crazy .Like you I am,vigilant checking mirros and listening , also you can feel the shifting of weight ,if they really strt to jerk the trailer I always ull over and stop .There is a subtle difference betwen shifting for balance and scramling in panic , but there is a difference!if you are not sure ,check!
I have a very good friend who takes special care of her very nice Paint horses. Her grown son had helped her hook up her trailer to haul her horse to a lesson. She was on a small back country windie road.. when her trailer came unhitched. Her trailer ended up on it's side in a field.
Of course she freaked out, and called her vet, her husband and the police. Calling the police was her mistake. They would not let her go assist the recovery of her horse from the trailer, while questioning her in the cop car back seat. Finally when they realized it was an accident (her son got distracted when hooking up the trailer)..she was allowed to help get her horse taken care of. The horse was OK, and believe it or not, did not have a problem loading after that. My friend ALWAYS checked her hook up after this.
My dad's work buddy was hauling 4 horses in a 4 horse trailer going down I-10 outside of Phoenix- the floor of the trailer gave out and he dragged 2 horses till he could get off to the side of the freeway. Both horses had to be put down and he couldn't get the other 2 in a trailer for a very long time. I think everyone knows someone who knows someone that something terrible like that has happened to. I am extremely cautious about hauling, even when Josh is driving and not me.
OMG that's horrible! I was on my way to a horse show and was behind another truck and trailer. The rig had slowed down to turn into the park, the weight shifted and the wood planks fell off the small ridge they were laying on (old steel trailer). All I saw were horse legs coming out the bottom of the trailer, and my heart sank. Thankfully horses weren't seriously injured, a vet was on scene and I vowed never to haul my horses in a strange trailer.
Good post, and so true about knowing and feeling what you're hauling (ever have a horse that sways while being hauled like a half full tank of water? ugh.)
I would classify those first 2 accidents as just accidents. They happened to involve horse trailers because the boneheads that caused them happened to hit trailers instead of a regular vehicle.
That 3rd one though, ugh makes me sick. I'm glad you told the story and posted the pic because as you said it may prevent a similar accident.
Sooo many drivers are just plain ignorant of what it is like to drive a large vehicle like a truck and trailer (or a semi). Kimfer & I have often said that it should be a mandatory part of driver's training for them to have to haul a trailer (unloaded!). People just don't realize the extra room you need, the limited visibility and the longer time you need to do something like gain speed or stop.
cdncowgirl~ I fully agree with you on that every driver should have to drive a truck and trailer to see what it is like. People just don't realize that you can't just slam on your brakes and stop on a dime, or get up to speed getting onto the freeway like a car. There is a lot involved in towing a trailer, and if people had to haul one, they would have a lot more respect for the big rigs on the road. It's very unfortunate...
even though i haven't hauled in a while (i'm not legally allowed to in europe, can you believe it!), i still have nightmares about trailering accidents. which i've never had happen. i just had so many idiots pull in front of me so many times, and i've not been able to slow down fast enough so many times, i have these "unable to slow my rig down" dreams. *shudder*
WOW SO sad!!! That is just terrible about that horse!! The hubby and I are always talking about that! You can just never be to careful!
I've trailered a lot, including some 1,000 mile hauls with 3 of my horses and a fully loaded trailer. I hate trailering - I hate every minute of it and never get used to it. There's two morals to your stories - one, make sure you know what you're doing and that your trailer and hitch are safe for your horses - there's a lot of people out there with poor quality equipment that's a danger to their horses and they don't know how to drive a rig or pay attention to the horses, and two, you can never predict what the other drivers will do and staying alert is your best protection. The worst almost accident I ever had was going down I-80 in Nebraska when a car that was parked on the shoulder pulled directly in front of my trailer - I was going the speed limit but if I hadn't been able to pull into the left lane - there was no one there - the relatively small car would have ended up plastered in my grill - I think the horses and I would have been OK since we weighted 20,000 pounds at least but there probably would have been deaths in the car. And I don't think the people who pulled out even looked to see if anyone was coming. It's scary out there.
Trailering is scary no doubt... I really hate it. Living in the city, and hauling in the city is deadly. It never ceasese to amaze me the amount of people who apparently do not see or hear a huge truck pulling an even larger trailer.
~Jeni
was hauling with a borrowed chevy 78' suburban that had a lot of play in the steering wheel which i didn't like but was doing fine after 110 miles or so and then a tractor trailer pushed us off the road and into the median. i was passing him as he was driving so erractic and the people behind (sheriff's wife) saw the whole thing and said he was at fault but he never stopped. thankfully the trailer popped off the ball but the suburban flipped. my horse had minor injuries and the other horse was fine. humans fine other than complete shock for me. horses got back on another trailer who happened to be there within seconds. the people were like angels coming to help us, i will never forget that.
the farm rescuer told me to always haul with a pickup and a gooseneck trailer which helps keep everything as one especially in scary situations. so that is what i have and it makes a big difference and when trucks pass i am not blown all over the road and heaven forbid if a truck touches me like before then i will be able to manuever easier (God willing!). that suburban was awful and nobody should haul with them old or new. tag alongs are not safe. i am so thankful my jessie came out of it ok...and of course the other pony and my friend who is still friends with me today! ;)
I find it extremely hard to believe that the woman didn't know something was wrong in the 3rd incident. While towing a warmblood sized 2 horse straight load with a 3/4 ton standard wheelbase truck I had a young horse pull the tie ring out, flip over backwards, stand up, and jump out of the trailer. I began braking at the first jolt but he was out before I could stop. I knew something was terribly wrong and was bracing myself against the steering wheel and still hit my head on the wheel twice - that's how much the horse made the rig lurch! He was actually fine, not even a srape! I was shaken for years.
So sad. :( Yes there are a lot of idiot drivers out there in general, it is so good that you are aware and cautious! It is all you can do. We are all at risk every time we are on the road, horse trailer or not!! Kudos for being such a safe driver!
Pony Girl
Haahaa-I have been you...screaming obsceneties and making the appropriate gestures to people who do completely assanine things.
I think a lot of times, people aren't even aware of what is around them when they are driving. They act like they are the only ones on the road.
Of course, I realize being stuck behind my trailer can't be much fun. All you can see is a big white wall. But, it's very seldom that I go less than the speed limit. I think driving overly slow has a tendency to make people do really dumb things to get around me.
One of my biggest pet peeves are the people who are poking along and then when I go to pass them, they look over and see this huge rig going by and speed up. WTH?
I still cannot fathom how the lady that drug the horse did not realize something was going on back there. Something was just so 'wrong' about that whole deal.
What horrible accidents!!! I am a nervous wreck whenever I haul my horses. I am on high alert at all times when hauling, and cannot imagine not noticing even the smallest shift. I agree that no one else seems to care that you are hauling precious cargo, so you must drive very defensively.
Oh gosh, this post gets me started up. I nearly got hit the other day, in our town's roundabout, by some lil car that just couldn't wait. I was like "Where are you going? To ram the side of the horse trailer?!" It was ridiculous.
We too had one dragged like that. All that was left was the head. We don't see those folks around anymore. I don't understand how anyone could not know that.
Another person, very prominent, and they have blah blah blah years of experience (that's what they told me) lost their Featherlite gooseneck w/2 horses. Popped off, they didn't notice until they got to their destination FORTY MILES away. Forty freakin miles and you don't look in your rearview and notice you have no trailer????!!!
One horse died, another impaled but survived. Honestly, how stupid can people be?
I can't stand it. I never turn on the radio, I keep it slow and do my best to watch out for others.
Interesting note, we hauled yesterday over a couple cattle guards, and I told Wade, "Do you think Cattle guards are like airplane turbulence for a horse? You know, you're going along and then you suddenly drop a couple inches, it's real crazy loud, then you bump up and all is fine. Just like a plane" (and if I was in the plane, there would be screaming at that point, and possibly reaching for the vomit bag)
I said this cause I thought he went too fast over them. Sure enough, coming back he was real slow and gentle over the guard :)
Good post and I like the picture. Nothing like seeing it to remind a person - every single time you load up and go, check and double check EVERYTHING. If you hear something unusual, stop and look. Better to be safe than sorry.
see what you started? I wrote a book :)
Good post PG. Reminds us all to stay alert and on our toes whenever we are on the road, hooked up and hauling or not.
Stay safe out there y'all.
Super scary post. I'm always careful when drivig (don't have a trailer to haul) but know what u mean about other idiots. What is so important that you have to endanger yourself and others by driving like that.
I haul a lot and don't mind doing it AS LONG AS the rig is sturdy and properly maintained. Have driven literally thousands of miles in marginal rigs...shudder....
My rule o' thumb is to drop my speed by 10 mph whenever the truck/car ratio drops below 1/3. People who generally drive around just cars don't know enough about the limits of big rigs.
I'd rather make other drivers and their passengers mad than have them make me and my passengers dead.
Oy vey. I know knowledge is power but most of your post I could not read. it's the first time that has evert happened. Reading about gruesome accidents hurts my heart too much. I know they do happen, and I will forever send good thoughts out into the universe to protect all horses traveling and their drivers. My friend Bill has several horse trailer accident stories at the ready and I refuse to listen. I only hope that by hearing such stories that everyone can learn to be more vigilant when carrying precious cargo. Anything can happen to anyone at anytime.
Dear Lord, how horrible!!! It is always scary hauling horses. I am constantly looking back to be sure I can see their ears thru the window on the front of the trailer. It is always a little tense every time we pull out into an intersection or have to turn a corner....
Ok.. just today I mentioned to a co-worker that I'd like to go to a clinic in October, but I don't want to drive on a particular part of the Interstate that has a high speed limit, and heavy traffic full of rude, impatient drivers. I think I'll stay home and wait for a local clinic.
Very, very sad about the horse that was dragged. I usually double check my trailer doors, but I'll be triple checking them next time.
Trailering horses has always been scary to me because people are idiots! I am sure it is much worse since everyone seems to have a cell phone at their ear, which should be stuck up there b---! I have saw some of the craziest things lately that drivers do.
Hey you going to be at the Arabian Nationals in Tulsa this Oct? I will be there part time helping my friend sell her artwork
WOOOOW! That poor horse! That is so scary. Indigo fell down a couple times in the trailer and scraped herself up. We knew about a mile down the road when we could feel the whole trailer shuddering.
K.T. Sparks~ Yes, I will be at Arabian Nationals in October! We will have to meet up while I am there.
Yes, we have had some nasty accidents lately, haven't we??? People just get stupid when they see a horse trailer or a dump truck, or a semi....
They don't seem to realize that it takes longer to stop or to switch lanes.
Kudos to you for being a safe driver. : )
wow, thanks for posting this post. it made me shudder, especially seeing the photo afterwards. that poor horse :(
i for one will be checking and re-checking my trailer door from now on!
Very good post.
In reading the comments, I feel bad for those who don't or won't trailer their horses. But understand the fear & worry. Especially in metro areas. Learning to trailer my horses gave me an incredible freedom to ride other places and I have hauled the horses to 6 or 7 states just for riding. I love my to trailer my horses and really think I am a very careful hauler.
But... I had what could have been a bad accident once, too. I got distracted by one of my kids when I was hooking up the trailer & I didn't do the final clamp. I hit a rough railroad track & my trailer became unhitched from my truck. The safety chains caught it and having just read about someone else's similar accident, I got it under control and stopped. But it scared me bad. I blogged about it here:
http://horsetrailriders.blogspot.com/2008/12/ride-of-their-life.html
I, too, have no idea how that person could not have felt that horse falling out of the trailer. I can only guess that whatever conversations or music she was engaged in had her oblivious to what was going on behind her. God Speed to the poor horse.
I pray that this is a reminder to me and all of us that safety is first when hauling our precious cargo. Now, if we could only educate the non-horse people who make our hauling hell sometimes!
We all have our close-call stories. Why people can't or won't think beyond their own selfish agendas is also beyond me. They just don't get that you cannot swerve or jump on the brakes when you're hauling a horse trailer.
Trailer terror is one of my fears... I didn't read the post!!!
- The Equestrian Vagabond
I am the safest trailer hauler alive, and I don't care who I piss off on the road. I start to signal far in advance of a turn and slow the vehicle so that all the traffic behind me can see my brake lights and my turn signal. I generally drive slower than the speed limit, too and encourage others to pass me. I agree with you, people are always in a hurry. This was an excellent, excellent post, Paint Girl. Thanks for the information and reminders. (My worst nightmare is that the trailer door isn't properly shut and a horse falls out. I've been known to stop my vehicle to double check. And, I CONSTANTLY listen and watch from my rear view mirror.--precious cargo back there!!)
I drove about 3 hours round trip with my trailer this weekend. I drove with the radio off so I could hear any unusual noises, slowed down around every curve (I'm sure that made me popular), and drove about 20 mph through towns (30 mph posted) as there were many crosswalks and I was afraid of some pedestrian, who doesn't understand trucks and horse trailers, stepping out in my path. But no matter how defensively you drive there are people out there who do the unexpected, like cutting you off so your horse ends up with a bloody nose from you having to brake. Grrr!
Ugh...that dragging story made me sick to my stomach the first time I read it! Really though, how in the hell would you not know that something was not right?!? I just DON'T GET how you could do that and not realize it. Ick.
And isn't that the worst feeling EVER when someone pulls out right in front of you like that? I HATE that! We have a light that gets me nearly every time, no matter how much I slow down for it. It's a 55 mph highway and I swear it's like the shortest yellow light ever and I've had to run it a couple times (because it was that or slide to a stop some where in the middle of the intersection, which isn't really an option), but it always scares the crap out of me because those people on the cross road aren't always patient or watching me coming and not able to stop. Ugh.
Hauling horses can be so stressful!
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