Horse and pony dead after being struck on River RoadBy Nita Birmingham (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
JOHNS ISLAND — A crash Tuesday morning on a dark stretch of River Road claimed the lives of a pony and a horse and badly injured another. The animals were hit by a car, a pickup truck and another vehicle that left the scene of the 6 a.m. crash near Hamilton Road, Charleston County sheriff's Maj. John Clark said. No humans were injured, but a pony died at the scene and a mare was so badly injured that she had to be put down. It was heartbreaking for owners Richard and Paige Ray, who said the animals were like children to them. The Rays, who also board horses on their River Road property, suspect it was no accident that the animals got out of their fenced pasture. The gate was lifted off its hinges, and Richard Ray found tire tracks on the property. "There is no way that those horses got out of that pen without human hands picking up that gate," he said. He'd gotten up to feed the horses when he heard noise in front of his property and saw blue lights. "I thought there was car accident. I heard hoofs on pavement," he said. The couple's beloved animals were "all bloody and messed up." The Rays' Welsh pony, Isabella, died immediately. She had just turned 8. Zabrina, a German Oldenburg top show horse, had a pelvic fracture. "The vet came out and pulled a big chunk of bone out of the back of her leg," Richard Ray said. Zabrina was euthanized because she would be in chronic pain, and there was a good chance the pelvic bone would fail and she'd collapse one day, he said. The Rays buried Isabella and Zabrina on their property. Another horse, Cynca, suffered deep cuts and a large bruise on her nose, but will be OK. The crash report wasn't available Tuesday, and Clark said he wasn't sure of the sequence of events. One driver was cited for leaving the scene of an accident, he said. Richard Ray said that driver was on her way to Kiawah Island and called in to report the damage when she arrived at her destination. Reach Nita Birmingham at 937-5433 or nbirmingham@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 22 comment(s)
Posted by Tulane75 on August 13, 2008 at 1:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If this were an accident it would sicken me, but the thought that it may be an intentional act of cruelty is just revolting.
Posted by reality_woman on August 13, 2008 at 5:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How terrible. I guess it was dark and they did not see the horses? This happened to me one day. I seen the horse and pony, stopped and led them back to a pasture and was able to locate and secure the animals. Too, bad such a thing happend, and I hope they catch the ones that lifted the gate. Sorry about your loss of you beloved "children".
Posted by WhoCares on August 13, 2008 at 7:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If the gate had been hung properly it couldn't have been just "lifted." One of the hinges should have been turned upside down to prevent it from being lifted. I've seen horses stick their heads between the rails of a gate that was improperly installed and lift it themselves. I'm not sure I buy the whole tire track story either!
Still, it is a shame, and I'm very sorry for the horses!
Posted by Tammie on August 13, 2008 at 7:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is sad, and it happened right down the street from my house. These are very nice people and this should not have happened. I hope they catch the heartless *insert expletive* who did this.
Posted by YankeeLady on August 13, 2008 at 7:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The poor pony and horse. I certainly hope that whoever is responsible is apprehended. How about a nice fine and some community service caring for animals?
Posted by greeneyes on August 13, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is all to familiar..I had someone let one of our horses out (my Mom caught him breaking into a neighbor's house)He was able to get the one horse out but luckily my other one was scared of strangers and he couldnt touch him so he stayed. My Appy got hit by a drunk driver on River Rd headed to kiawah..we had witnesses that said they were pulled on the side of the road flagging him down to stop..our horse was blinded by lights and confused in the street and the car hit him and broke both legs on one side..then we had to wait an hour for the vet to get there to put him down.It really disgust me that the other woman left the scene of the accident because she had to get to kiawah and then call! My horse had 2 legs that were hanging and he was still trying to get up..she couldve stayed and tried to assist in helping these horses..people are just so inconsiderate anymore. I also had a friend find his horse with a string tied around her neck last month in the pasture it couldve chocked her to death if she stepped on it..its like the baby calf..someone is now causing the Mom to be put down because of 'pranks'
I wish these people the best it is so hard losing a beloved animal..I lost my horse 19 years ago and it seems like its only been a couple..my heart really goes out to you
Posted by grannyofseven_2 on August 13, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Aww and I love horses they are so regal. I hope the get what they deserve here it just breaks my heart
Posted by luckylady on August 13, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is so sad! My all time favorite animal in the world - so majestic and beautiful to watch. If this was caused by a person and not just some sort of freak accident I hope the person responsible are found. I would not make them take care of any animals as punishment as they obviously have no respect for them. A nice fine and maybe some jail time and let them live among some real animals!
Posted by abcde on August 13, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i was on the scene 5 minutes after it happened. it seems strange that the owner has changed his story. he had told us that one of the horses has a habit of bumping the gate in an attempt to escape. we tried to enter their property to see if the horses were theirs. no luck, gate was locked. i feel bad that they lost two horses, but if it was a car that hit them instead of a truck we would be talking about the lose of a human life.
Posted by IslandGirl83 on August 13, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes if the gate was hung so that it could be lifted off (which yes is the wrong way to hang it) then the horses definitely COULD have let themselves out. I had a horse that could open his own stall door and then he would go open all the other horses stalls too. Horses are very smart and strong.
This is a terrible thing though. It has to be hard to see your pet in so much pain.
Posted by newbattleaxe on August 13, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"...then we had to wait an hour for the vet to get there to put him down."
Horse Owners, this is a form of animal abuse. When you know your horse has suffered an unsurvivable incident, you need to be ready and able to euthanise it immediately. Zabrina's owners could not see the full extent of her pelvic fracture, so they waited for the vet. But, when you see your horse has 2 broken legs, do the right thing.
Accidents like this, where help is not called immediately ("... the driver was on her way to Kiawah Island and called in to report the damage when she arrived at her destination.") are going to keep happening on River Road and other country roads that are access routes to new developments.
Posted by common_sense on August 13, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A toll road may have prevented this from happening.
I'm just sayin...
Posted by ed52 on August 13, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I too am sorry about the loss of their "animals" . you grow such a love for them. Animals get out of pens. they have been escape artist since the inception of "the fence" . PLEASE quit trying too humanize the animals and stop making the accident victims and owners the demons.
Posted by common_sense on August 13, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well said ed52. Somehow I can't help that some who gush over the loss of these animals may not feel quite the same over the loss of our Soliders in Iraq. Some.
I'm just sayin...
Posted by boxercurl on August 13, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I live on Johns Island, not too far from the scene of the accident and don't see how a toll road could have possibly prevented this.
I also have been around horses all my life and know how smart they can be...either way the fact of the matter is that one of the people involved in the accident left the scene with no regard as to the well being of the animals or other vehicle involved. All because they obviously had something better to do. People haul tail down River and Bohicket Rd. which is why when there is an accident it is almost always fatal. For human or animal.
I say we find the culprits that let the animals out in the first place, whether it be criminal or negligent owner, and string them up...but don't forget the people that are more than likely trying to race to get to their destination fastest and do something about them, which I'm sure was a contributing factor in all of this.
Posted by counterpoint on August 13, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The only valid complaint against the owners here is that the gate was incorrectly hung.
Those of you lacking sympathy for the owners or devaluing their pain should probably be hit and or euthanized.
"I'm just sayin."
Posted by abcde on August 13, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
there were two vehicles involved not THREE. the truck hit the horses and a few minutes later a car from the other direction hit the TRUCK. the car left the scene. the accident was phoned in immediately after the accident. police showed up at 6:35 the owner at 6:45. took him an hour to ask if any humans were injured. sounds like he is trying to avoid a law suit.
Posted by PalmettoDP on August 13, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My former neighbors had horses that would always find ways to get outside of the fence at night (or their kids forgot to secure the gate, either way). They would then roam the neighborhood for the rest of the night (the horse owners lived right at the edge of town). My mom almost hit one leaving for work one morning - which would have been unfortunate for all involved.
Hope they find out who opened that gate - probably somebody looking for something to steal.
Posted by common_sense on August 13, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank you for making my point, counterpoint.
I'm just sayin...
Posted by greeneyes on August 13, 2008 at 10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by newbattleaxe on August 13, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"...then we had to wait an hour for the vet to get there to put him down."
Horse Owners, this is a form of animal abuse. When you know your horse has suffered an unsurvivable incident, you need to be ready and able to euthanise it immediately. Zabrina's owners could not see the full extent of her pelvic fracture, so they waited for the vet. But, when you see your horse has 2 broken legs, do the right thing.
My Dad took the shotgun down to where the horse was and the officers would not let him shoot him to put him out of his misery..they said they had to have the vet do it..I dont understand it but thats what happened...They didnt even bring my Dad to the accident scene until after the drunk driver was taken away.. I was so traumatized I didnt go to the accident scene..I went to the piece of crap's house that was seen running from the scene before the cops got there but he wouldnt come out..good thing for him.
Posted by greeneyes on August 13, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
PalmettoDP that is a possibility, these were not backyard pets or trail horses(like mine!)they were high dollar breeds..the horses that got hit were said to be a Oldenburg show horse..they usually go for 10-20,000.00 dollars for a show horse..and the welsh pony if it was trained for showing it could easily go for 10-15,000.
2 women stole 2 horses from a stable on River Rd a few years ago..they took them to sell them at auction in Tennessee..one of the horses was a show horse worth thousands and it sold for like a few hundred dollars I think..the other one was a older mare..I had rode her at Seabrook before very nice but she was older so she was sold to a slaughter dealer and was slaughtered before they could be tracked down.. very sad for the kids she belonged to.
Posted by horselover1 on August 14, 2008 at 1:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This story is particularly difficult for me as i am the owner of the animals that were destroyed that day. For those of you with kind words and understanding for our loss i thank you for that. We are devastated as these animals were amazing spirits, both were beautiful and full of personality. There is a huge hole in our lives and we will mourn them for some time to come.
They were extremely talented at their respective disciplines and loved to work. They certainly did not deserve to die at the malicous hands of some sick piece of manure.
So once again thanks for all the support.
And for those of you who have questions i appreciate your viewpoints. But i want to say that morning was probably one of the most horrible days of my life.I honestly thought in my first five minutes i spoke to the driver of the car that was damaged from hitting the pony.I thought i had asked him if he was ok. I certainly value human life over any animal so if i missed that i am sorry.
But give me a break, i walked out the gate to dead and injured friends.As soon as the police briefed me i ran to the house to go and wake my wife and tell her what was up as gently as possible. Then coordinate a vet and get the two injured animals secured and off the road.Then knowing i had a dead 1000 lb animal i needed to bury, i needed a backhoe to dig a grave so i had to get one heading my way. Then i had to remove the dead animal from River road. Please, my mind was whirling i am sorry if i missed some appropriate formalities.
The day only got worse from there as i learned shortly i would need two graves. Then i had to walk this limping, bleeding, magnificent animal who was in great pain to her grave site. She did not undertand why she was going to the woods and not her stall and was reluctant at first but she loved and trusted me so much she knew things would be allright.
Sadly, this one i could not fix and i helped lead her to the base of the rainbow bridge. I held her head as the euthanasia took her and watched the light in her beautiful brown eyes go dim and she was gone. A piece of my soul went with her.
So my gate is not improperly installed and i am not dodging lawsuits and i am not a perfect man. But somebody drove up to the back of my property,walked past seven other horses and removed my gate and spooked my animals,my friends,my family out of my secure area to their deaths.We know who this person(disgruntled former employee) is but the police say they cannot do a thing without solid proof.They do not do fingerprints or forensics in livestock deaths.
So i am deeply sorry for the people who got damaged vehicles and thank God no one was hurt. But we did not set this senseless horrible act in motion.We do get to live with its memory for the rest of our lives. My wife has not stopped crying yet.
I hope there is a horse heaven and Zabrena and Isabella are grazing there now.I miss them horribly and i will always remember their grace and beauty.