Horse killed in lorry accident on the A4103 Hereford to Worcester road

10:01am Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News By Neil Watts

Horse killed in lorry accident Horse killed in lorry accident

A HORSE has died after being hit by a lorry on the main road between Worcester and Hereford earlier this morning.

The incident happened when the animal was knocked down and killed at about 4.45am by a heavy goods vehicle travelling towards Hereford on the A4103 near the junction with the B4220.

Several horses were reported to be in the carriageway and ran off in the direction of Worcester.

A vet declared the horse dead at the scene at about 6.45am and staff from an abattoir attended at 7.15am to remove it and allow the road to be fully re-opened.

Update 11am: The owner of the horses has now come forward to the police.

 

Comments(19)

whyme says...
3:04pm Tue 29 Jan 13

Wasn't a Tesco lorry was it?

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spider666 says...
10:45am Wed 30 Jan 13

whyme wrote:
Wasn't a Tesco lorry was it?
You stole my punchline --oh well no point me having a long face about it ;-)

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onmysofa says...
1:53pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I don't think this is a subject to make jokes about. Someone's beloved horse has died and you have to laugh about it!!

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spider666 says...
4:52pm Wed 30 Jan 13

onmysofa wrote:
I don't think this is a subject to make jokes about. Someone's beloved horse has died and you have to laugh about it!!
There's a lot of hungry people as well --think of the burgers

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onmysofa says...
5:11pm Wed 30 Jan 13

spider666 wrote:
onmysofa wrote:
I don't think this is a subject to make jokes about. Someone's beloved horse has died and you have to laugh about it!!
There's a lot of hungry people as well --think of the burgers
Ha ha, you're so hilarious. I hope someone makes fun of the death of a loved one of yours, see how funny you'll find it then!

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pinkfluff says...
9:38pm Wed 30 Jan 13

hmmmm animals that are loved tend to be well looked after and not allowed to roam around on the road. IMO

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StaceyB86 says...
9:53pm Wed 30 Jan 13

I dont suppose they were "allowed" to roam free on the roads, people undo gates, horses break fencing & eat hedgerows. All of which have been experienced by myself and people I know with horses.

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pinkfluff says...
10:45pm Wed 30 Jan 13

StaceyB86 wrote:
I dont suppose they were "allowed" to roam free on the roads, people undo gates, horses break fencing & eat hedgerows. All of which have been experienced by myself and people I know with horses.
At 4.45am? The horse owners I know stable their horses at night.

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StaceyB86 says...
10:53pm Wed 30 Jan 13

Personally I have a field and field shelter and they are out 24/7, 365 days a year as are all of my friends. Not all horses are stabled. Don't feel people have the right to be spiteful without the facts of how this accident happened

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Casmal says...
10:59am Thu 31 Jan 13

Well said Stacey and onmysofa. There are idiots around at all times of the day and night, some are malicious and some are just ignorant and stupid. Either way the animals suffer. Yes, there are malicious, ignorant and careless owners about, but as we don't know any of the facts about this we are in no position to judge. However it happened the result is tragic and my blood ran cold when I read the headline. Interestingly no-one has suggested it might be the lorry driver who was at fault. Neither has anyone showed any sympathy for the lorry driver who could have been seriously hurt or killed. Horses are very big heavy animals. I knew someone who was nearly killed when a deer ran/jumped out of woodland at the side of a road and hit his truck. The potential for serious damage to the lorry driver and any other vehicles/people involved is enormous, not to mention the emotional and psychological effects. The truck was a right-off. Would you pinkfluff and spider have made light in that case, too?

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pinkfluff says...
2:53pm Thu 31 Jan 13

I didn't make light of it. I wasn't particularly offended by the comments either.

Just voicing my opinion which I am entitled to do. Not all animals are loved and/or well looked after. I don't like to jump to conclusions or take life too seriously.

IF I owned a horse and loved him/her, I personally would stable him/her at night for the very reasons both of you have outlined above. If you choose not to stable during the night then you have to assume the risks that go along with leaving them out........and yes fingers crossed that no person or horse gets hurts.

Will have to agree to differ on this one.

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Paul.Anderson says...
3:24pm Thu 31 Jan 13

How can a lorry driver be responsible when a horse is on the road at 4.45am?

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Casmal says...
5:44pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Paul, just because a horse is on the road does not mean you have to hit it. The lorry driver might have been driving without due care and attention, e.g. might have been on the 'phone, tired, driving too fast, etc.

Pinkfluff, I don't know if you have ever had anything to do with horses, but if you have, it must be very limited.

Horses are individuals, with individual needs and individual temperaments. Their physical needs vary according to their breed, health etc. As for their temperaments, some horses are actually claustrophobic. Others prefer to be with other horses/need to socialise and get lonely and depressed when stabled for any length of time. Many horses, given the choice will actually choose to be outside at night, rather an in a stable. Loving an animal involves caring for it in the way that it is appropriate for its individual and particular needs, not according to some soft, sentimental view of what you would like if you were the animal.

Your last paragraph beggers belief. It's like the argument that women who go out at night looking sexy only have themselves to blame if they get raped.

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underterraingrunter says...
9:14pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Hope the driver is OK. Lucky it wasn't a car that hit it.
For those that wonder if the driver wasn't paying attention, a horse can move fast in the wrong direction in those circumstances. Taking evasive action can be impossible.
I've seen a horse open a bolt with its lips quicker than I could do it with my hands. The deceased could be responsible.
If someone was stupid enough to let them out they need to be tracked down.

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pinkfluff says...
9:53pm Thu 31 Jan 13

Casmal wrote:
Paul, just because a horse is on the road does not mean you have to hit it. The lorry driver might have been driving without due care and attention, e.g. might have been on the 'phone, tired, driving too fast, etc.

Pinkfluff, I don't know if you have ever had anything to do with horses, but if you have, it must be very limited.

Horses are individuals, with individual needs and individual temperaments. Their physical needs vary according to their breed, health etc. As for their temperaments, some horses are actually claustrophobic. Others prefer to be with other horses/need to socialise and get lonely and depressed when stabled for any length of time. Many horses, given the choice will actually choose to be outside at night, rather an in a stable. Loving an animal involves caring for it in the way that it is appropriate for its individual and particular needs, not according to some soft, sentimental view of what you would like if you were the animal.

Your last paragraph beggers belief. It's like the argument that women who go out at night looking sexy only have themselves to blame if they get raped.
No I have never owned a horse, far too expensive and I would worry about him/her being out in a field all night.

It was an accident. I am sure the horse didn't want to get run over any more than the driver wanted to hit it.....that's why they are called accidents.

Your last comment is very very offensive. There is NO comparison IMO. I don't know any cases where a man raped a woman by accident.

I guess from your comment that you are not able to agree to differ and no one can hold a different opinion from you.

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Casmal says...
10:58pm Thu 31 Jan 13

If that's what you want to think, then that's your problem, but at least read what you have written and what I have written properly, rather than flying off the handle. You have no experience of horses. I have never owned one, but have friends who have and have had a long and close associations with animal charities, which come to the aid of horses and their owners, so know a lot a out the subject.

I agree with underterraingrunter'
s comments. We have no idea of the circumstances of the accident, and there are many possibilities.

In your last paragraph you appeared to be saying that people who leave their horses out all night can't complain if something happens to them, including stupid people coming along and not shutting gates or deliberately letting them out. If I have misunderstood, then please clarify, but that approach is patently absurd.

You also clearly believe it is wrong and owners are uncaring if they don't stable their horses at night. That is also patently absurd. I have explained why and if you don't believe me then Google the subject, or ask one of the animal charities, there are many which specialise in horse rescue and know what is cruel and what is not.

You don't have to take my word for it, but at least argue from a knowledge base.

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Paul.Anderson says...
9:12am Fri 1 Feb 13

Casmal unless the horse was wearing a hi viz jacket, or lights at 4.45am I don't think the lorry driver really had much chance of seeing a brown horse in the dark.

As somebody who has a horse in the family yes some are left in fields overnight but they usually have an electric fence around the field to help keep them from straying onto the road, they also usually have ditches either side of the fence and also a large hedge to help protect the animals and road users.

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Casmal says...
3:23pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Hi, Paul,

Re your first para, please read what I have written. The point I was making was that you cannot jump to conclusions about how and why this accident happened, as some bloggers appeared to be jumping to conclusions and apportioning blame. I would, however, like to add that when I am driving in the dark I manage to see brown things that are not wearing livhts or high viz jackets as, if all else fails, my headlights illuminate them. Whether, if he saw it he was able to stop in time is another matter. But I would add, all I am saying is that we cannot apportion blame, there are many ways this accident could have happened. Remember I was also the one who, when some bloggers were being flippant about what was an appalling tragedy that could have been so much worse, they should think how awful it must have been for the lorry driver! Hence my asking you to read what I have written.

Thank you for your confirmation re horses kept in fields. As for ditches, hedges and electric fences, yes they are often put in place. This does not prevent careless or ignorant people or vandals leaving open or deliberately opening gates, vandalising electric fences or even stealing them. A farmer local to me before I moved here had his electric fence stolen three times!

But I repeat, all I was saying was you have to keep and open mind!

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pinkfluff says...
1:19pm Sun 3 Feb 13

I just can not comment any more.....far too busy flying off the handle.

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