Injured horse left in trailer after hit and run
Bakersfield, CA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Apr 14, 2007
County: Kern
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
Authorities are tracking down the driver who flipped a trailer on Cottonwood Road over the weekend, and fled the scene, leaving a traumatized horse trapped inside.
"Trooper" is what rescuers are calling the one-ton Stallion that survived a hit-and-run crash on Cottonwood Road near Panama Lane late Saturday night.
The "horse [was] lying on his back with legs tangled and the driving gates of the trailer and head in front so there was no way to get out without removing the top of the trailer," said Laura Blanton, Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital associate veterinarian.
The driver pulling the trailer was long gone as crews spent three hours in the pouring rain and dodging downed power lines to rescue the horse trapped inside the mangled trailer.
"This is one of the calls you'll remember 'til the day you die," said Bakersfield Fire Bat. Chief Matt Moore. We "made the difference in a life of a horse and you don't get to say that very often."
The horse walked away with bumps and scrapes, which Blanton says is remarkable considering the condition of the trailer.
"It doesn't seem like he's been traumatized," Blanton said. "I don't know what he was like before this happened, but for the most part, he's been really calm and easy going. An excellent patient."
CHP said they've located the owners of the horse and trailer, but as of 5 p.m. Monday, have not determined who the driver was.
The Highway Patrol said it will not release the horse of the trailer to them until they reveal who the driver was.
That driver could face charges of hit-and-run and animal cruelty. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Kern County, CA
|
