Ifor Williams Horsebox Accident

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Craig Jones

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In November 2010 my wife suffered a serious head injury whilst unloading her horse from a 510 model Ifor Williams trailer.

Her 16hh horse had managed to tear the rivets from the front partition and climb over the breast bar before the side ramp door was opened and the force of the horse against the door resulted in a near fatal head injury. She has subsequently made a good but as yet not complete recovery.

The trailer was a 2005 model and the purpose of this post is to find others who may have experienced or even heard of this kind of accident with this particular make of trailer.

Of interest it is noted that on more recent and current models the partition location has been redesigned and is now much more substantial.
 
Never heard of an accident like that before, have heard of people being squashed under rear ramps when a horse has stepped back as they were putting the ramp up but these were probably older trailers without breach bars.

I have heard of horses climbing over breast bars, happened to a friend recently, but in this case the horse was squashed up against the nose of the trailer (a 506) and not the ramp.

Just sounds like a freak accident and your wife was just unlucky.
 
Firstly very sorry to hear about your wife and I do hope she makes a full recovery...... if you have done your research you will see my 16:3 mw gelding climbed the partition and front breast bar to escape through the top door of the side ramp - obviously got stuck as not phsically possible. Despite his size and weight and he was totally weight bearing on both the partition and breast bars and they remained in place, if anything in this case it stopped a serious injury as it held him in place whislt he was being freed.

Again sorry for the accident but sometimes these things just happen as horses are so powerful and some people may challange that actually the partitions should give way under such circumstances.
 
I'm sorry about your wife.

However I have to say that she ignored the most basic safety measure that most people learn before ever loading a horse in anything. That is never stand in front of a ramp, whether back or front. Half a tonne of horse behind a ramp is always going to do some serious damage.

I have only ever seen an accident with a rear ramp but the potential is there with either.

No trailer or wagon will stand up for long if a horse really goes crazy in it. I also find it hard to believe that she didn't see, feel or hear what was happening. I would never open a ramp with a commotion going on inside, thats what jockey doors are for.

Hope she makes a full recovery
 
Sometimes horses come out of jockey doors which are left open as well.

As above hope your wife makes a full recovery

Many of us dont think 'straight' in a stress situation and often the horses owner is the wrong person to attempt a rescue

Think all of us could do with more education on what to do when things go wrong
 
i really hope that this post isnt about gathering information to sue ifor williams?
like previous poster said the ramp should never had been opened.
horses are big strong animals and ACCIDENTS happen and im sorry but if you cant come to terms with that without looking for someone to blame other then yourselves then i suggest she takes up knitting. but i wouldnt attempt to sue the knitting company if she stabs her finger with the knitting needle :D
 
Cuffey said:
Sometimes horses come out of jockey doors which are left open as well.

As above hope your wife makes a full recovery

Many of us dont think 'straight' in a stress situation and often the horses owner is the wrong person to attempt a rescue

Think all of us could do with more education on what to do when things go wrong
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I agree about the jockey door, once saw a Dales pony go out of one.

Its a good point about education, most people dont have any training or understand the risks before travelling horses.

I think the OP is looking for evidence for legal action against the manufacturer though.
 
ew1801 said:
i really hope that this post isnt about gathering information to sue ifor williams?
like previous poster said the ramp should never had been opened.
horses are big strong animals and ACCIDENTS happen and im sorry but if you cant come to terms with that without looking for someone to blame other then yourselves then i suggest she takes up knitting. but i wouldnt attempt to sue the knitting company if she stabs her finger with the knitting needle :D
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I think that is a bit harsh as the OP's wife has clearly suffered a severe possibly life changing injury. Perhaps a kinder more sympathetic response?
 
I dont have much experience with these trailers but just want to give my best wishes to your wife. Sounds like a terrible ordeal and Im glad to hear she is on her way to recovery :)
 
katherinef said:
I think that is a bit harsh as the OP's wife has clearly suffered a severe possibly life changing injury. Perhaps a kinder more sympathetic response?
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Why, it appears to be someone who has joined simply to find evidence to sue, not one of the regular posters reporting an accident.

I think its fair to point out that horses are large and unpredictable so:

a) Was she travelling an inexperienced or highly strung horse
b) Failed to follow basic safety measures in standing in front of a ramp
c) Possibly failed to wear a safety hat when handling horses in difficult situations
d) Obviously had no training in what to do when something went wrong.

Even if the OP could gather evidence against the manufacturer wouldn't this come into effect


Contributory Negligence - definition
This where a court decides that you have contributed in some way to the accident you have suffered at the hands of a third party. The more responsibility a court decides you have, the less compensation you will receive. For example, where a driver crashes a vehicle and a passenger was not wearing a seatbelt. The passenger will receive damages (compensation) for any injuries received, however the amount will reduced by their own negligence, in not wearing a seatbelt at the time.
 
katherinef said:
I think that is a bit harsh as the OP's wife has clearly suffered a severe possibly life changing injury. Perhaps a kinder more sympathetic response?
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Totally agree. I'm the first to criticise when someone sues after slipping on ice and breaking an arm. or something else trivial, but this is a different matter that could result in big lifestyle changes.

I've got a similar trailer, and have never had any problems, despite having a huge 17h ISH that sits on the rear bar it has never loosened at all. Perhaps there was a fault with this particluar trailer, or perhaps it was a tragic accident.

Most people know what you should and shouldn't do when handling horses and loading etc, but I bet we've all made mistakes now and again. Most of us get away with them...
 
To answer your queries-:

The horse was a 16 year old gelding which had been regularly travelled.
My wife was originally standing to the side of the ramp.
She was not wearing protective headgear at the time - I wonder how many people do when loading or unloading a horse?
She has been travelling horses regularly for nearly 40 years.
 
So sorry to hear about your wife, I hope she makes a full recovery.

Unfortunately I think the incident was a tragic accident too. Sadly these things can happen and if a horse wants out, theres often no stopping it despite what is in its way. Lots of accidents have happened in the 3.5t horseboxes too with horses going over bars and coming through the rear of the door at the back. Ive heard of horses coming out of the sides of 7.5t horseboxes, going under partitions or there heads coming through the roofs, in a bid to get out.
They are so big and powerful, I dont think anything would stop them if in a frenzy. IMO the bar in a IW is to prevent the horse going forwards, not take the full weight of a manic horse coming over it.
Sorry
 
I am sorry to hear of your wife's accident, and hope she is recovering well.

I am rather surprised though that she didn't notice anything was amiss before unding the pins to lower the side ramp, but then we have a 505 similar age, and perhaps it's different?

On ours, before opening the side ramp, one has to undo the smaller flap that fastens above the ramp, as this overlaps the ramp, meaning you cannot lower the ramp before this flap is opened. I'm fairly sure most people would take a moment or two to secure this back before tackling undoing the pins that hold the ramp handles shut, otherwise there is a big chance especially on a windy day that it will fly back and slap your pony in the face as you unload (BTDT!) .

Now our pony is only 14h but always sticks his head out to snort at you once that top flap is open so I would expect, unless your wife is very unusually short, that with a bigger horse that she would have been able to see the horse before undoing the ramp, particularly if he was raised up higher than usual, being as he was presumably hanging over the breast bar (can't think there's be room totally over the breast bar for a whole horse). I'd also expoect her to have noticed that he seemed distressed by his antics and having got stuck. I'm also surprised he didn't scrabble about as soon as the upper flap was opened. All of which leaves me very confused as to why your wife didn't think 'that's odd' and the proceed with caution on lowering the ramp by standing to one side, or even take a look in through the little front window which most IWs seem to have. I'm just extremely surprised this didn't seem unusual to her prior to undoing the ramp to have extra bits of horse close up the front end, and cannot think why she wouldn't have let it drop to one side of her rather than stand so very close to it ? But maybe it's only super-cautious me thinking these things? I can only think she may have been distracted by others, was she talking to someone?
 
Maybe Im wrong but Im thinking the horse was on the bar that broke under its weight and the weight of the horse also somehow forced the front ramp down injuring OPs wife??
 
Craig Jones said:
To answer your queries-:

The horse was a 16 year old gelding which had been regularly travelled. Then what made him go nuts, perhaps you would have a case on that
My wife was originally standing to the side of the ramp. Obviously not when it happened, unless the ramp broke and went sideways
She was not wearing protective headgear at the time - I wonder how many people do when loading or unloading a horse? Not the point, BHS recommend we do
She has been travelling horses regularly for nearly 40 years. Accidents happen to the most experienced people, and they can get complacent along with the rest of us
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Just playing devils advocate. But I wouldn't expect an Ifor Partition to do more than stop the horse going forwards. A old Rice one might but they weight 10 times as much. When I bought my Ifor I traded strength for weight, my choice, I knew what I was buying.
 
i hate this wheres theres a blame theres a claim society we live in. people who doe this is the reason why everything is surrounded by red tape.
the accident happened two years ago so it is obvious this man is trying to collect evidence. Also how did your wife manage to sustain a head injury if she was to the side of the ramp?
health and safety states protective clothing must be worn when handling horses. yes 99% of people dont dont do this but that is their own choice not to do so, so if they incure an injury its no ones fault but their own

If the trailor was brand new and lets say for example the floor fell through then thats when a claim can be made because the only party at fault would be the manufacturer. in your case it was the horse freaking out that caused the accident and no hinge will hold half a tonne of horse that is in a blind panic
 
You have to differentiate. This is not someone who has fallen on ice and bruised their backside or whatever. This is someone who has suffered a significant and I would guess life changing injury. In that instance if there is blame to be apportioned that is rightly so. It may be that there is "no case to answer" on the other hand IF there is and IF there is an inherent fault surely there should be be accountability.

Anyway the OP has simply posted to try and find out if there is anyone who has experienced a similar incident I am not sure that criticism should be levelled at this point.
 
katherinef said:
You have to differentiate. This is not someone who has fallen on ice and bruised their backside or whatever. This is someone who has suffered a significant and I would guess life changing injury. In that instance if there is blame to be apportioned that is rightly so. It may be that there is "no case to answer" on the other hand IF there is and IF there is an inherent fault surely there should be be accountability.

Anyway the OP has simply posted to try and find out if there is anyone who has experienced a similar incident I am not sure that criticism should be levelled at this point.
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You beat me to it again! Exactly what I was thinking.
 
katherinef said:
You have to differentiate. This is not someone who has fallen on ice and bruised their backside or whatever. This is someone who has suffered a significant and I would guess life changing injury. In that instance if there is blame to be apportioned that is rightly so. It may be that there is "no case to answer" on the other hand IF there is and IF there is an inherent fault surely there should be be accountability.

Anyway the OP has simply posted to try and find out if there is anyone who has experienced a similar incident I am not sure that criticism should be levelled at this point.
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and me.. i just couldn t put it so eloquently!
 
katherinef said:
You have to differentiate. This is not someone who has fallen on ice and bruised their backside or whatever. This is someone who has suffered a significant and I would guess life changing injury. In that instance if there is blame to be apportioned that is rightly so. It may be that there is "no case to answer" on the other hand IF there is and IF there is an inherent fault surely there should be be accountability.

Anyway the OP has simply posted to try and find out if there is anyone who has experienced a similar incident I am not sure that criticism should be levelled at this point.
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And this - plus if there is an inherent fault IW need to be alerted so they can recall trailers with the same fastenings and thus hopefully prevent a similar accident happening in the future.
 
Some of the older Ifors have partitions that come off really easily at the 'hinge' point if they lift upwards - the later models have a different fixing on the partition to stop that happening. The back half of the partition came to pieces while the horses were on it on one that we hired, because one of our TBs managed to dislodge it with his hock. Luckily our horses were very calm and let us right the situation but it could have been nasty.

I'd be tempted to speak to a reputable trailer servicing place as they will know all about the different models and which ones had which fixings. After our experience the hire place had the fitting on the one we used amended to make it safer, so it's likely that a servicing outlet will have come across any issues with the various models and ages of Ifors.

Hope your wife is OK.
 
To answer some of the queries.

The trailer was not brand new but one owner and very well maintained.

The metal loop which stops the ramp from touching the ground was the object which caused the head injury. This is located on the edge of the door and one would only need to be marginally inboard when the ramp suddenly comes down to be struck.

The whole episode was caused by the horse managing to pull the rivets out of the partitition allowing the breast bar to move downwards and the horse to escape.

My purpose in posting this issue is to find out if any other owners have experienced a similar problem in case a modification needs to be made so that this kind of accident cannot happen to anyone else.
Bear in mind my original advice that the current trailers have a revised (and very much stronger) partition location.
 
Im sorry to hear about your wife, and yes it could be any one of us. I'm unsure as to whether the rivets were under extra stress if a lank king horse if simply broke in every day use. I'm confused as to whether the ramp was freed without knowledge of the horse being loose but presumably tied and the horse forced the ramp down if if the ramp fastenings failed?
 
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