13 Belgian draft horses killed in rollover.

[City Lights]

'It was brutal'

13 Belgian draft horses killed in Route 41 rollover; Tempel Farms vet risks life to save horses


October 29, 2007

By DAN MORAN [e-mail]

WADSWORTH -- Thirteen horses were reported killed Saturday when the semi-truck they were riding in on Route 41 collided with a pickup truck at Wadsworth Road, sending the rig -- loaded with 59 Belgian draft horses -- toppling onto its side.

"It took us five hours to get all the horses out of there," said Sgt. Curt Gregory of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "We had to cut off the top of the truck. It was brutal."

Gregory added that Illinois State Police will likely join county investigators in determining if safety guidelines were violated in having 59 horses being transported in one trailer.

"These were yearlings, about 1,000 pounds apiece, and they were double-stacked inside," Gregory said, adding that the semi was heading to the Minneapolis area from Indiana. "We're going to work with some experts in the field (and) see if they were being legally transported or not."

more... http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/624788,5_1_WA29_HORSEACCIDENT_S1.article


edited for typo

[flvegan]

1. Jesus, that's horrible.

I hope the rest of them will be okay.

[City Lights]

2. Here's an update on the story:

Horses' deaths outrage
Equine community holds crash-site vigil

October 30, 2007
By DAN MORAN [e-mail]

WADSWORTH -- On the northeast corner of Route 41 and Wadsworth Road on Monday afternoon there was still evidence of Saturday night's semi-trailer wreck, including dozens of discarded road-flare caps and clumps of white detergent that was used to soak up vehicle fluids.

But more tangible evidence was found in a roadside display set up by area horse enthusiasts, who expressed a mix of sadness and outrage about the deaths of 15 horses being shipped in equipment designed for small livestock.

"It was horrible," said Kristine Guthrie, a horse owner who lives just east of the site and headed out to the scene after hearing about the accident. "There were just horses everywhere ... The one filly they had to put down was right there on the median."

Guthrie and about a dozen other visitors to the site spread out tributes to the dead equines, including flowers, show ribbons and a cluster of carrots. They also processed their anger by sharing theories and information about what might have transpired on Saturday.

The leading theory, which apparently has been working its way through the Lake County horse-country community, was that the 59 horses were being shipped for slaughter, allegedly after being bred to produce pregnant mare urine (PMU) for use in human estrogen treatments.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/625936,5_1_WA30_HORSEVIGIL_S1.article

[peacebuzzard]

3. premarin needs to be outlawed. This is a brutal story.

and of course the little creatures were headed to slaughter. Stacked for transportation? My God, (....my prayer for the critters today)