HORRIFIC looking accident

jemima_too said:
This evening I thought what a hassle it was running a 7.5 tonner. After seeing that I remember why I won't travel horses in a trailer or even a 3.5 tonner unless it is unavoidable.
Click to expand...

And I've seen a 7.5 tonner over on it's side.....and one where the ramp fell off!! whatever you put your horse in whether it be a trailer or lorry - you are running a risk - neither are infallible And some of the lorries on the road, how the heck do they get through a plating????? I also belive trailers should have an annual safety check too, but that's a whole different thread!!
 
I think the "best" one was some yank saying that it was the trailer drivers fault for "trying to pull a horse/trailer with a piece of **** SUV!!GET A TRUCK!" I think they don't realise that a jeep is a damn good towing vehicle here in Europe!
 
Horrific is the word!!

really thought that the poor horse had been killed when didn't see it moving!! Totally amazed it walked away!

A big well done to the emergency services there!
 
moses06 said:
I also belive trailers should have an annual safety check too
Click to expand...
I could not second this enough. A friend told me the other day that she knew someone who didn't get their horsebox checked. It turned out that the bottom had rusted through and while she was driving the bottom of the box actually fell out, but she had the radio on so loud that she didn't hear anything. Both the horses in the trailer were scraped to pieces and died. Would never, ever travel in a box not checked after hearing that, it's just horrific.
 
HappyHorses:) said:
My heart was in my mouth watching that.

Jeeps are more than suitable for towing weight and power wise.

I'm sure lots of us who drive our four legged friends around have all had near misses because of impatient drivers who cut in and pull out in front of you because they don't want to be 'stuck' behind a horsebox or a trailer.
Click to expand...
Yes its amazing how many people just pull out of side roads not just in front of horse boxes but generaly flying up to junctions asuming they will just come out!!!!!! there should be more stop signs and less give ways.. mind how many people break the law and just roll over the line without stoppping, same sort of thing on the motorway they come down the slip road and assume
everything will give way to them!!! if someone pulls out I would urge you to try not to swerve better to hit them straight on rather than turn over, jackknife or cause a head on
colision like in the coach crash in cumbria!!!
 
My gosh, that video was almost unbearable to watch, I definitely thought the horse was already gone in the trailer. The accident looked horrifying, I'm shocked everyone survived!

Well done to the emergency services, who seemed to work calmly and quickly to help the horse. :)
 
Well done all involved.

IMHO those fretting about the suitability of the Jeep need to come and see some people towing fully laden trailers with Freelanders (old type) like they do round here. Don't think I'd tow my dog with one of those... :p
 
The horse must have been in shock and give a hefty sedation as well. All the firemen and vet seemed to be in control and it was great to see the horse walking away, even if the poor thing was a bit wobbly.

I noticed that one of the firemen was standing by the horse's front legs and then hastily moved away so I wonder if they had been given horse specific training? I was told that if you have a fallen, injured horse to always stand away from its legs (and preferably the top side if possible) in case it suddenly starts thrashing around and someone gets kicked.
 
Oh, that wasn't nice to watch. I've been there - bringing a new horse home in a trailer along the M4 about four years ago. Chap in the car behind fell asleep at the wheel, drove into the back of the trailer, causing it to jacknife and go over on its side. It tore itself free from the car, we stopped at right angles to the slow lane, the trailer ended up in the fast lane. I ran across three lanes of the motorway, completely oblivious to the danger of traffic (thankfully it'd all stopped) because all I could hear was my horse banging around in the trailer. Cue seconds of flashing images of fatally injured horse, broken legs, etc.

He was on his side, underneath the partition. The piece of bailer twine he was tied to had broken (than heavens for that) and he wiggled his way out from under the wreck of the partition, picked his way across the top of it, and squeezed out of the top of the ramp, where I was standing.

Several big chaps got out of their cars from behind, pushed the trailer back on to its wheels and on to the hard shoulder, and off the traffic went again.

The police were useless - they firstly shut the ENTIRE motorway because there was a 'loose horse' - he was standing with me on the hard shoulder eating grass. They then wanted me to put him back in the trailer - what, the one who's walls are now at an odd angle, that's a total wreck, that isn't ATTACHED to anything, that the horse has just had an accident in? Er, no. Then they wanted me to put him in the field next to the motorway - down the embankment, through god-knows-how-deep brambles, break down someone's fencing, to get into a field of indeterminate size? Er, no.

They finally decided to walk us to a bridge a short way away (they shut the whole motorway again while we walked along the hard shoulder), which had a cut back bit where we were off the hard shoulder, and we waited there for rescue. They were pretty useless at that too - could sort the car and the trailer, but not the horse (I now have roadside rescue which includes rescuing the horse!)

We were saved by a lady who lived just off the motorway, we could see her yard. She saw what happened, ran across the fields from her house, ran back again when she realised we needed transport, got her horsebox and drove back to get us. Bless her, she was a real life saver!

No one was hurt - the horse walked away with a few minor scrapes. The police said it was nothing short of a miracle - our guardian angels were watching over us that day!

We managed to close the motorway twice and make it on all the traffic reports.
 
Watching that makes me so glad I'm a happy hacker, the few times either of mine have been in a trailer I've been w reck until they've got to their destination.

The firecrew and vets did a brilliant job there, they looked so relaxed about it all -as if it's a every day event.

It's amazing that the horse only had that gash on it's neck.
 
Excuse my numptiness, but what is the horse wearing on his head- is it a regular head guard thingy? (not seen one like it before) Cos I'm thinking it probably saved him from quite a bit of head damage.
 
paisley said:
Excuse my numptiness, but what is the horse wearing on his head- is it a regular head guard thingy? (not seen one like it before) Cos I'm thinking it probably saved him from quite a bit of head damage.
Click to expand...

I agree, but like you don't know what it is called as never seen one like it before. Anyone shed light? Maybe its a German thing?
 
Ruthnmeg said:
I agree, but like you don't know what it is called as never seen one like it before. Anyone shed light? Maybe its a German thing?
Click to expand...

I would imagine it was put on after the accident, by the vet in attendance, whilst horse was doped, in an effort to prevent injury if the horse panicked.
 
I had a trailer overturn on the M1 with two small horses in it, not an experience I would want to repeat, I was towing with a large 4x4, the horses weighed around 450kg ea, we were well within the weight limit and were doing 40mph. Turns out, one of the horses swayed from side to side and set the trailer snaking downhill. I covered the brake but that made it worse, as we were going downhill, I could not drive out of it and the trailer started controlling the car, I knew though if I could get to the bottom of the hill, it started to go up again and I would be able to pull us out of the snake.

Most drivers were extremely good and held back, also (I found out later) putting their hazard lights on, however, one bright spark could not wait and decided to overtake me 'to get out of the way', if he had gone into the far lane, it would have worked, but no, he used the middle lane and the front wing of my car hit his turning him over and sending him straight across my path, we jack knifed and the trailer smashed the car 3/4 times before it turned over. My passenger and I were unhurt, I was out of that car in a flash and one of the horses came out through the space above the ramp, my other horse was trapped for what seemed like an eternity, I thought she was dead and I distinctly remember thinking 'I never thought I would lose her like this'. Happily she was only winded and there were some brilliant people around who really helped us.

The police also closed the motorway because of the 'loose' horse thing, actually it does make complete sense, and on the whole they were brilliant. The driver of the car was done for careless driving. He was an obnoxious person and almost got himself lynched by bystanders because of his attitude!

People that day were absolutely brilliant, some went well above and beyond, one guy and his daughter missed their flight to stay and help, I will always be so grateful to them.

I never pulled a trailer again. My vehicle was well up to weight and both trailer and car were well maintained. Both were right offs. No one was hurt and miraculously, neither horse was seriously injured.

I got a smaller car and a lorry after that - never again:(

For some reason typing this out has made me a little emotional, it all happened about 13 years ago!
 
Last edited:
Jenna500 said:
The police were useless - they firstly shut the ENTIRE motorway because there was a 'loose horse' - he was standing with me on the hard shoulder eating grass.
Click to expand...

Glad your story had a happy ending like the horrific German accident but to be fair to the police your horse was 'loose' in as much as he wasn't contained in a lorry/trailer. They had to shut the motorway. What would have happened if he had been spooked by some big lorry zooming past and broke free and galloped off into the traffic?
 
jemima_too said:
This evening I thought what a hassle it was running a 7.5 tonner. After seeing that I remember why I won't travel horses in a trailer or even a 3.5 tonner unless it is unavoidable.
Click to expand...

I agree, we have a jeep too and trailer looks like the Bokkmann, was going to buy one of those recently , and I have a big horse too!! So glad to see the lovely horse survived lets hope he made a complete recovery.
Will be getting a lorry now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top