Wednesday, March 3, 2010

One horse killed, 2 rescued when trailer rolls in Arizona


by Catherine Holland / AZ Family

Posted on February 5, 2010 at 1:03 PM

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Wittman, ARIZONA -- A horse trailer with three horses inside rolled over in the West Valley Friday morning.

It happened at about 8:30 a.m. near Grand Avenue and Patton Road in Wittmann. Fire crews from Surprise responded to the scene.

Emergency crews were able to extricate two of the horses. Aerial video showed crews walking those horses around. A third animal did not survive the wreck.

Lanes were restricted in both directions for a time.

According to Chief Eddie Rios of the Wittmann Fire Department, it looks like the hitch connecting the trailer to the motor home that was hauling it came undone. The trailer detached and rolled over.

The motor home was traveling eastbound between Wittmann and Sun City.

There's no word on the condition of the driver.

Officer Robert Bailey of the Department of Public Safety said this it not the first time time kind of accident has happened.

"Last month, we had that happen here near the 202 and I-10, some people pulling two Clydesdales that came off the trailer," he said. "It happens from time to time."

Bailey said it's possible that the safety chains on the hitch might have snapped.

"A lot of times, it's operator error," Bailey said. "And they might not have strong enough safety chains. Those safety chains often snap, especially with those heavy horses."

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