13 horses killed, more injured in tractor-trailer crash in Missouri, officials say

Thirteen horses were killed or had to be euthanized following a Missouri crash involving a tractor-trailer Sunday night, officials said.

The crash happened around 8 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 44 in Franklin County, which is around 50 miles west of St. Louis, the Missouri Emergency Response Service’s Large Animal Rescue group said Monday.

Twenty-nine horses were on board the tractor-trailer that was found “tipped on its side in the median,” the nonprofit animal rescue organization said.

Three of the horses escaped the area and were rescued by Missouri Highway Patrol.

The Boles Fire Department, Missouri Highway Patrol and Humane Society of Missouri officials helped MERS Large Animal Rescue make two fenced enclosures— one to contain the horses and another for triage.

Pull ropes were used to help transport horses onto trailers, according to the animal rescue group.

‘Each horse had to have a halter put on and was either lead out of the trailer or pulled out of the trailer with our straps using a backwards or forward assist,” MERS said.

The crew members were at the scene until 3:15 a.m., the group said.

Thirteen horses died and the 16 horses that survived the crash were taken to a nearby Humane Society. Their injuries are not known.

“Nine MERS members worked determinedly in the rain, poop and mud in a confined area with 1,000-pound animals that were confused, injured and scared,” MERS said.

It’s unclear the cause of the crash. The driver of the tractor-trailer “did not have serious injuries,” officials said.

This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 4:15 PM with the headline "13 horses killed, more injured in tractor-trailer crash in Missouri, officials say."