I hate stupid people !!!!!

[MinisOutWest]

Guess this guy made his horses pay the ultimate price. Somebody waves me down, I do everything to stop within 30 seconds, because if they are getting my attention- then something is wrong now, not 10 minutes from now.

Monday, Jul. 07, 2008

Six horses die when trailer catches fire

Sparks from Oregon man's vehicle also set grass fires along interstate.

By VICTOR A. PATTON

[email protected]

SANTA NELLA -- Six horses burned to death Sunday after their trailer caught fire on Interstate 5, according to investigators with Cal Fire.

Investigators also believe the fire ignited several small grass fires along Highway 152 and I-5.

Firefighters from Cal Fire's Los Banos station and California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene, a Petro gas station at Highway 33 and Gonzaga Road, at 5:03 a.m. There, they found the trailer fully engulfed in flames, according to Cal Fire Capt. Baraka Carter.

The trailer was attached to a Ford F450 truck, which was not damaged by the fire. Carter said the horses were already dead when firefighters arrived. The blaze was contained within seven minutes.

The fire started after one of the trailer's wheels blew out on the interstate near Canyon Road, Carter said. The truck's driver was initially unaware of the blowout -- until other drivers notified him that a wheel on his trailer was smoking.

The driver, an Oregon man in his early 50s, drove another six to seven miles until he eventually came to a stop at the gas station. Along the way, however, Carter said debris from the burning trailer started about 13 grass fires along Highway 152 and Interstate 5, the largest of which was about a half-acre in size.

Firefighters were able to control all of the grass fires within an hour, Carter said.

The driver, who also owned the horses, told investigators that he didn't immediately stop when he noticed the smoke because he was unfamiliar with the area, which is remote, and was searching for help. He had been driving back home from a horse show in Southern California, Carter said.

"He seemed genuinely upset about the horses," Carter said.

The driver told investigators that three of the six horses had a combined monetary value of about $250,000.

Merced County Department of Environmental Health staff also responded to the scene because of the bodies of the horses, Carter said.

Reporter Victor A. Patton

can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or [email protected].

 

[TN Belle]

I guess it is that difficult to pull over and then call authorities, tow truck, vet, SOMEBODY!! There is no excuse at all!! Could he not hear the horses screaming? I wonder if it was an insurance fraud issue since he knew how much they were worth if they didn't do to well at the show. Makes you wonder about people. No one is held accountable anymore.

 

[Miniv]

You would have thought that he'd have FELT the horses reacting, not just screaming, and would have stopped at that point.

Don't know about other people, but when we are pulling a trailer with horses and feel something going on, we stop and check! Sometimes a diesel truck can drown out sound, but if a horse is in major distress, you can hear that too.

 

[Minimor]

I admit that I would be leary of pulling over at the signal from a stranger in a passing vehicle, particularly if I were driving in a remote area and if I was unable to see/feel anything wrong with my rig. Doesn't mean I wouldn't pull over, but I would be cautious about doing so.

But my gosh, if someone were signalling me to pull over AND I saw smoke coming from the trailer somewhere you bet I would pull over, no matter where I was! It sounds like in this case the driver/horse owner did see the smoke but chose not to pull over & check it out--and that is utterly stupid.

TN Belle--you think just like I do--I wondered the exact same thing when I read what the insured value of the horses was.

edited to add: like MA, if I feel the horses moving around too much I stop & check; I stop & check if I happen to hear some unusual or loud noises--like someone banging on the trailer walls--and sometimes if they're too still for too long I have to stop & go check then too

I do have to get one of those little cameras put in so I can just have a look see without stopping & walking back there. I also try to keep a close eye on my side windows, so that if there happened to be smoke back there from a tire or a brake I would notice it myself before someone had to flag me down.

 

[txminipinto]

Geesh.....

If you are pulling a trailer, loaded or not, remote area or not, and someone waves you down.....YOU STOP. There could be something wrong with your trailer, your horses, anything. YOU STOP. Because not only are you responsible for your safety on the road, you're also responsible for your trailer. If you have a wreck because you didn't stop when someone tried to stop you, you're responsible.

Those poor horses....I only hope they died of smoke inhalation before the fire consumed them.

 

[Brandi*]

I was outraged when I read this article in the local newspaper :arg! There is no reason those horses should be dead

What an idiot

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

That is about the saddest thing I have ever heard. I sure hope the same thing does not happen to him!!!!

 

[Windhaven]

That guy does not deserve to have horses. He told authorities "he didn't stop right away when he saw the smoke, because he didn't know the area". And if these where show horses he should of been able to get the door open and get one of two untied and let loose. They would of had a better chance running loose then in the burning trailer. Also for that trailer to go up in flames like that, meant that that tire had been burning for a while. I do know I always am checking my mirrors to see if anything is wrong. I have even stopped because I just had a feeling something was forgotten and had to recheck everything.

I someone flag me down once. Two of my friends and I had gone to a Mustang and Burro adoption. Well I adopted a mustang and my one friend adopted a burro. We had them loaded in a two horse trailer all enclosed with an half escape door. Well we had been on the road about a half an hour when a pickup truck with a young man in it, pulled up next to us and was pointing back at the trailer. When we looked in the mirrors we could see the escape was open. Well our hearts jumped in our throats about then. All we could imagine is as I stopped the mustang and burro jumping out and making a mad dash for freedom. So as I hit the breaks kind of hard (because I wanted to through the mustang and burro off balance), I was pushing my friends out the door so they could get back there and shut it before the escape. Well everything turned out fine. The young man stuck around and helped us tie the door shut (it popped open because they leaned on it). We even had several cars pass us before this young man and nobody flagged us down but him. So you never know but most of the time when people flag you down it is because there is a problem. I am sure glad we trusted our instincts and listened to the man flagging us down.

 

[wildoak]

What an awful story, poor horses. Makes me glad all over again that I have a trailer cam. I've stopped many times and checked because something felt wrong....and a few times it really was. We had a stallion get stuck over a divider coming back from OK a couple of years ago. He was fine but he wouldn't have been in great shape had he ridden that way for another couple of hundred miles. Something just felt "off", I thought maybe a tire at first but must have been him fighting to get free.

Jan

 

[JeanH]

Whoa people! You all don't know all the facts here.

The person involved is one of the most well respected trainers in the Northwest. He would be a first choice for me if I ever had a Saddlebred, Morgan or Hackney pony that I wanted in training. The man is very subtle and calm with his animals. I have known him personally for many, many years. His animals are always in perfect condition and of sound mind.

The fact is, he and his daughter were on their way home to Oregon from a major Saddlebred/Hackney show in Santa Barbara, California. He was on a very remote road that had no immediate place to pull over when someone signaled that there was a problem with the trailer. It was a wheel bearing that was on fire. By the time he was able to stop (which he did as quickly as possible), the horses in the trailer had already succumed to the smoke. When he was able to get stopped was when the trailer actually caught on fire, but the horses were already gone. He has major burns trying to save the horses.

I have traveled all over the country hauling horses. Been in places were you could not safely (for yourself, your animals or other travelers) pull over. To imply that he just kept toodling along without a care in the world is extremely harsh - especially since you were not there and do not know the full circumstances of the event.

Many years ago, Nancy Eidam (well known miniature judge and trainer of outstanding Morgan horses), was on her way to the Morgan Nationals in Kentucky. Just outside of Omaha, Nebraska, she got a flat tire on her trailer. So, they immediately stopped on the side of I-80. While changing the tire, along came a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel. He plowed in to the back of Nancy's horse trailer not only killing all 4 horses inside, but then flipping over on to a motor home, killing all of its occupants as well as a toyota pickup, killing all of its occupants. Nancy and her companions were able to dive to safety. Ask Nancy sometime if she would EVER stop on the side of a road again.

Trust me, this man doesn't need any insurance money. His first priority is the well being of his horses. He is devasted by this. His family and friends are extremely concerned with his mental state.

You know, sometimes things just happen so quickly that they are totally out of your control. It is not a matter of being "stupid", an "idiot", "uncaring", "never should have horses". Show some compassion instead of making ignorant accusations. I just hope that none of you ever have to go through something like this.

 

[mininik]

VERY, VERY WELL SAID, Jean. Six to seven miles is NOT that far to go when you are traveling fast down a road you cannot safely stop on. No doubt there would have still been bashing had he stopped sooner and something else went wrong.

 

[MinisOutWest]

Sorry about the facts- BUT I am still with txminipinto- pull over, means pull over. And yes, I had a friend killed in 1989 because they pulled over for a blown tire, was hit by a semi.

But chances of fixing something are better than getting killed. I will take the chance anyday. And then to say there was a second person in there too. was she sleeping??? how can you not see the smoke, going fast or not. Guess I wasn't there, so I will shut my mouth now. But I wanted people to see this article and be aware of things going on with your trucks and trailers during the show season. Just keep your eyes open for yourself and others. BE SAFE......and see ya down the road !!

 

[Minimor]

I do know about remote roads and roads in general that don't have good places to pull over, and yeah I always hope that I don't have to pull over in those places, whether I've got the trailer behind or not. Nancy Eidam's experience is one reason why I don't like to pull over--as a Morgan person I'm familiar with that sad accident!--but remote roads often do not have heavy traffic & it can be possible to pull over part way, even if partly blocking the lane...it's a good idea to carry flares, triangles AND a fire extinguisher...and believe me I would do my best to stop & use that fire extinguisher whatever road I was on before I would just keep driving and let my horses die of smoke or flames...without even TRYING. After all, if the whole rig catches fire before I get to a safe stopping place, well, the road is going to be partially blocked anyway.

Torsion axles mean you don't even have to completely change a flat tire--pull the flat off quick & continue on to the next safe place to finish changing the tire...thanks to knowing someone that was pulled over to change a tire on a truck & a semi came along & ran him down, and I've heard of other similar cases--those stories combined with Nancy's make me especially cautious about changing tires on the roadside or being pulled over for any other reason. But, some situations just don't give many alternatives.

Smoke coming from any part of your rig may be a good indication that continuing on may not be the safest option, no matter how bad the alternatives may look.

Why do I get the impression that if this news story was about some unknown Joe Blow there would be NO ONE defending him?? A big name trainer can make an error in judgment just as easily as some nobody can--and some nobody might happen to do the right thing before the big name guy would...and yes of course it's possible that a situation like this would end in tragedy no matter what the driver chose to do, I realize that.

 

[mininik]

Good grief! I'm sure they saw the smoke. The man traveled maybe an extra 360 seconds down the road to safety. He WAS trying. Trying to be safe. It wasn't only the horses and himself and HIS DAUGHTER at risk, but OTHER MOTORISTS, as well. You can speculate all you want about how the horses could have been saved, or how long the horses suffered, or how busy the road was, or how he may have been able to wedge himself off the side of the road safely all you want, but the fact is that no one here can really know that they could or would have done any different in the same situation. No doubt you'd all be booing still had the article read that he stopped and was engulfed in a grass fire trying to untie the horses so they could run free all over the road where they were hit by family driving by. Think about it.

 

[Minimor]

whatever.

But, I do have to wonder....if he had known what the outcome would be, would he have done things differently? If he had known that by not stopping immediately the horses would die, would he have made the decision to stop instantly? And maybe have had a chance to save the horses? Because stopping 6 or 7 miles sooner MIGHT have made a difference?

 

[Fred]

Believe it or not on a big trailer you can't always SEE the smoke. I was following DIRECTLY behind a big trailer on the way to Congress a couple of years ago when all of a sudden coming off the ramp the far rear tire started to smoke. It was a busy highway and no one noticed it but me. I had a CB link to the trailer in front so was able to get the driver to pull over. Turns out the axle broke and the wheel well went down on the tire. We were very fortunate no one got hurt and the horses were fine. The trailer could have flipped or caught on fire. I do know the potholes coming off that particular ramp were what caused the axle to break though. NOT one person or policeman stopped during the entire time we were down. A mobile repair [for tractor trailers] had to come out and weld the axle to get us up and running again. You can't always see what is going on behind you.

 

[JeanH]

This man and his daughter did everything they could to save the horses. He has probably forgotten more about horsemanship then most of you will EVER know from being in the industry for 50 + years. I know this man, and I know that he reacted as quickly as he could to the circumstances to do whatever it took to save the horses.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda - easy to say?

And, we all know how accurate newspaper articles are. It said that the man owned the horses which is not true. They were all customer horses in training.

Thank you Fred!

 

[TN Belle]

My first apologies to make any assumptions, but it sounded really fishy.

Even if he couldn't pull over, why didn't he at least slow way, way down? I have seen many people creep along, drive on the shoulders, or pull into a driveway. The interstates have shoulders, back roads can be held up by taractors at times, so why not a slow moving trailer. I am trying to picture every road I have ever towed on, and the only time I would have panicked was on a steep graded mountain back road and I guess I would creep along it too. I would rather destroy a tire/wheel rim by riding on it VERY slowly for seven miles if that was the only option rather than continue criusing along at normal speeds.

I LOVE the camera in my trailer. We bought it from Walmart for $20 and it is wireless so it transmits to the truck on a small $20 b/w tv monitor. We had to hard wire the camera with the lighting, but it always stays on, so as long they truck and trailer were connected, it was on. We learned the hard way when they sat connected for a few days and our truck battery was dead. That was the best "how to haul" teacher I had, when you see how they react to your driving, it makes you notice things.

I rode with a lady hauling a big horse from TN to CO in a three horse slant gooseneck and the one horse was tied in the middle stall with the last divider left open so he had extra room to move. She drives a Dodge diesel dooley and we heard a scream and the trailer swayed real bad. We stopped on the side of the interstate and peeked through the windows and didn't see a horse. We opened the back door and was looking at us. The last divider was swinging and his rope snapped off (like it was supposed to do), but his window was busted and he put a dent in the roof too. He didn't have a scrape on him and we can only assume what happened, but I will never forget the sound of that scream. Over the engine noise, radio, talking, road noise, we heard him holler.

 

[HGFarm]

If he had slowed way down, the trailer would have been engulfed in flames even sooner, as it was the wind that was keeping it down, but unfortunately could not keep the smoke from inside the trailer. This is why, when he stopped, the trailer just went up in flames. It would have happened anywhere.

I am sure by the time it was smoking that badly, the damage may have already been done, whether folks tried to pull him over or not. Did any of those folks try to block the road or help him other than to try to wave him over?

I can only imagine how the man must feel...... and if it was a dangerous part of the road- where would he safely pull over. He obviously thought that when he did get a chance, he would be able to hurry and get them out (thus his burns) not realizing they were already gone.

What a shame and a tragic happening.. and I truly dont know what I would have done in his shoes, so cannot judge this... stop on a hiway where there IS no place to pull over, or wait til you think it is safe??

 

[bingo]

If he had slowed way down, the trailer would have been engulfed in flames even sooner, as it was the wind that was keeping it down, but unfortunately could not keep the smoke from inside the trailer. This is why, when he stopped, the trailer just went up in flames. It would have happened anywhere.

I agree everyone is so very quick to judge. It is tragic no denying that however many roads especially in CA are 2 lane windy canyon roads it is simply not safe for anyone to stop. To assume that no other traffic is coming around a hair pin turn is not reasonable. To assume that letting horses out to run on a road like that is safe is not reasonable. To imply he drove around happily ignoring everyone for 20-30 minutes is simply not fair.

Really now 3-7 miles we are talking at most a couple of minutes. To pull over in a place that is safe enough for you to attempt to do something to help if possible.

I would surely hope something like this never happened to anyone here who then had to read what a idiot, stupid selfish person you were. Sometimes things like this just happen a accident a horrible tragic accident.