It's our worst nightmare; being involved in a collision while towing horses.  Unfortunately, I can write this from personal experience.  Recently, moving cross country with 3 precious horses, 4 cats and an old blind dog on board we were involved in a collision.  Very fortunately, everyone walked away unscathed (apart from our truck) and there were several positives that I can reflect upon.  1. We were lucky the collision occurred at low speed. 2. The collision occurred on an interstate right at an exit to a small town. 3. There were some truly amazing people on site very quickly to help. 

Without going into too much detail, I thought I’d write this in hopes it will help you be more prepared if the worst happens to you.

As soon as the collision occurred (caused by an erratic driver), I quickly assessed that my husband, who was driving, and I were both ok. I got out of the truck and saw the situation we were in (see photos), I checked that all horses were still standing (they were and remained calm throughout), I checked on my old dog that was in the back seat and the driver we collided with – all ok.  What you do not want to do is get animals out if you can avoid it, they may create an additional hazard as well as be an unnecessary distraction for you.

When I became aware emergency services were on the way (make sure they have been called if you haven’t called yourself), I called my insurance that had a horse assistance service (they were not that helpful but that’s another story!).  When the police arrived, I attempted to talk with him to work out a plan. Initially the officer was all orders, and not in the frame of mind to listen, he wanted the road cleared and cleared NOW!!  This is where staying calm and knowing my stuff stepped in!  I didn’t push the subject, instead I let him do his thing while I continued to monitor animals and reassure my husband that everything was ok (poor thing, I knew he was feeling terrible). 

When I saw an opportunity, I politely and respectfully asked if the trooper had a moment.  I asked what he was proposing, once again he wanted to throw his weight around (his attitude quickly changed when I mentioned I was ex-police officer!) ….. his solution was to have the tow truck hook up the truck and drag truck and trailer off the freeway as one unit (I clarified this twice!). 

Having taken stock of the situation with the tow guys and while the trooper was busy doing his thing, I was aware that the trailer was no longer attached to the truck!  His “solution” might have been a disaster! He needed to know that even though he was “in control of the scene”, his “solution” was not a viable option. I informed him of the situation with truck and trailer directly – saying “ok, but that trailer is no longer attached to the truck”, to which he responded “oh, it’s not?” His attitude toward me further improved, in part helped by my being calm and direct.

Here's where the tow guys stepped in.  Once I found out their plan to remove the trailer from the truck and tow both separately up the nearby off-ramp to a nearby gas station, I got out of the way and let them do their thing, they are the experts at this after all.  They were amazing, but they also knew not to stop me when the truck with the trailer (and horses) started to head off and I simply stated I was staying with the horses and promptly jumped in the truck (apparently NOT protocol!).
The trooper had a local contact who was able to transport the horses, he knew of a barn much nicer and closer than the one the insurance company found.  Imagine the scene of 3 fancy dressage horses unloading from a nice living quarters trailer into a small stock trailer with a floor covered in fresh cow poo!  The driver even apologized but honestly, I did not care.  I was concerned the new horse I was unfamiliar with and who had proven to be a very difficult loader (think 1 hr to get him on), would not go on this stinky, noisy trailer, but you know what – every horse stepped right on without any hesitation!  And I guess I had made an impression on all these big burly guys by now, because they did not try to “help” get the horses on, instead they knew to let me do my thing but were on standby if needed.

The driver took us to a nearby barn he knew of and I could see the concerned look on the owners face as the driver relayed our situation.  Knowing what I would think if someone simply arrived needing housing for animals, I quickly approached and told her they all had clear coggins and were current on vaccinations and health certificates – even before I gave her my name’!  With that, she very graciously allowed us to stay.

While the situation was bad, I’m sure had I been hysterical or uncooperative, things could have been even more stressful.  As it was, the tow company owner took incredible care of us well after he had to (taking us around to arrange a rental car and staying in touch for several days post collision), it really did turn into a collaboration between many different people to get the job done.

So here are some takeaways….First off, remain calm. This allows you to act rather than react and will stand you in good stead with the emergency services personnel.

Second, know your stuff & know that you know your stuff!  When a collision occurs, immediately other people become involved, most out of necessity, some out of curiosity!  It is likely that you will be the one with the most horse experience. If something is proposed that you know will not work (i.e. trooper’s solution!), voice your opinion and be willing to explain, if necessary.

Third, cooperate and communicate!  While you may be the horse expert in this scenario, those responding to assist; police, tow truck etc., are the experts at what they do.  You need to understand they have different priorities (clearing the scene, especially if it is blocking the road), by communicating with them in a respectful way things will run more smoothly.

After all this, we ended up being stuck in a small town in Nebraska, 4 cats and a blind dog in a “pet friendly” hotel room for 10 days!  (Hotel ended up only being dog friendly, we promptly found cat boarding when “a” was discovered by staff!  With help from family, we found a replacement truck and the coupling on the trailer was replaced.  It was certainly an experience, one I don’t want to ever repeat, and we were very lucky indeed.  While I hope that you are never in a similar situation, if you are, I hope some of what I’ve relayed may be of use to you.

Jenni Fugate is a team member of The Equine Expert LLC, a multi-discipline equine expert witness and consulting firm offering legal expert witness and consulting services in court cases, legal matters, appraisals and business affairs. Jenni is an expert in Arabians, Teaching, Dressage and Biomechanics. She is a native of Australia and has been working with horses since she was a child. She now lives in Virginia on her farm where she trains and teaches. For more information on Jenni visit www.theequineexpert.com or you may contact Jenni at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of Jenni as an expert equestrian, and not that of an attorney.