Illinois Highway Accident Kills Horses Likely Bound for Slaughter

An entire region of residents showed their true colors when a semi filled with horses crashed and capsized Saturday night in Wadsworth, Illinois.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday night, October 27, North Dakotan James Anderson, 34, drove an overloaded double-decker cattle truck through a red light. He was traveling northbound on Route 41, allegedly heading from an equine auction in rural Indiana to an unknown destination in Minnesota. His speeding rig barreled into a westbound Chevy Silverado at the Wadsworth Road intersection, sending a 67-year-old Libertyville, IL, driver and his passenger to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Anderson's own passengers, 59 young horses (mostly Belgian drafts), fared much worse, as the trailer rolled over on one side across the highway. The giant rig blocked both lanes of traffic.

The Illinois State Police and the nearby Newport Fire Department arrived in minutes. Moments later, neighboring firefighting teams showed up as well. Large-animal veterinarians from three nearby counties pitched in also. Gary Koehler, John Hannover, Leslie Szalla and other area equine veterinarians rolled up their sleeves to care for the imperiled equines immediately.

As the call went out, local residents launched into action immediately. Equine professionals, enthusiasts and others left the World Series, the bow-hunting season, and even the Lake County Mounted Posse Association's 50^th anniversary celebration to pitch in and save as many traumatized horses as possible. Many arrived in their trucks, with horse trailers already attached, to help transport the animals from the scene.

Local authorities reported that nine of the horses probably died immediately in the crash. Another half-dozen equines had to be euthanized on the spot.

"It was positively horrific," said Scott Golladay, an equine breeder and English and Western equestrian trainer. "I have never seen anything like it. The horses were kicking and screaming inside the trailer."

Volunteers struggled to free the trapped horses. Emergency technicians had to carve the roof off the capsized trailer to uncover the young equines. The 800- to 1,000-pound horses were stacked, one atop the other, inside. Veterinarians, horse trainers, and everyday citizens worked side by side to drag and carry the shocked and immobile animals to safety.

"Because of good scene safety management and a LOT of cooperation by a lot of different local horse people, no people were injured rescuing as far as I know," reported Colleen Murphy, a local horsewoman and member of the nearby Mill Creek Hunt Club. Several Hunt Club members also assisted on the scene.

The highway was shut down for nearly five hours, as the animals were rescued. Eventually, the 44 surviving horses were taken to nearby farms for safety.

Amazingly, none of the horses attempted to run onto the highway. Perhaps they were too traumatized to move. Possibly, they were too stiff and sore from traveling in such cramped quarters.

"That trailer was built for hogs, not horses," said Antioch resident David Skofstad, president of the Lake County Mounted Posse, who keeps his own horses at home. "The decks are so short that the horses could not even stand up inside."

Will charges be filed?

Sergeant Curt Gregory, of the Illinois State Police, indicated that Anderson was ticketed for running the red light and failing to slow down on the highway. An additional investigation is underway, although Anderson has returned to his home in North Dakota.

Subsequent probing into the situation has indicated that this truck was probably one of a convoy of four such rigs, filled with no-sale horses from an Indiana auction and heading northward towards Minnesota or, perhaps, the Canadian border.

What were all of those horses doing in a livestock trailer, designed for pigs and cattle?

Rumors were flying, as the crews worked. Was the truck headed for a slaughterhouse, north of the border? Slaughterhouses have been banned in most U.S. states. With gas prices soaring, perhaps this inhumane overloading of equines was intended to reduce costs for such a journey.

Certainly, horses that are candidates for legitimate equine sales are subject to more careful transport. The reckless treatment this herd endured raises many questions, particularly in horse-friendly Lake County, IL. The accident occurred less than a mile east of Tempel Farms, home of the famous dancing Lipizzan horses. Many other equine establishments are within a few miles as well.

Whatever their intended fate may have been, the horses' immediate future now rests in the hands of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Has anything like this ever happened before?

As tragic and shocking as it may seem, this is not the first time such an accident has occurred. In fact, just over a year ago, a similar crash took place in Missouri. On September 27, 2006, a huge tractor-trailer crashed on Interstate 44. The rig contained more than 40 horses. A subsequent investigation found that these horses were, indeed, headed for the slaughterhouse.

SOURCES:
On-site individuals: eyewitnesses, local officials
Lake County Mounted Posse Association
Belgian Draft Horse Corporation
http://www.thehorse.com