A tragic story-(sorry it's so long)

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Jenny Drumm JDrumm930@cs.com
I found this posted on the message board in the Rocky Mountain Horse forum.

This is a very sad story, but I am posting just to warn people. Many of us have to ride on the road, even if it's just to GET to trails nearby. Sometimes we can get complacent & assume that if we just stay to the edge of the road, the cars will stay away from us. We must be alert at all times & try, if possible, to leave ourselves an out, in case the worst was to be heading our way. I'd rather deal with some upset homeowner whose yard I just escaped into, than wind up with my horse & I as a hood ornament. Obviously, as in the following story, there may be no place to go to escape, but we should all be as careful as possible. Keep your eyes open & never assume drivers give a darn about you or your horses' lives!!

Posted with permission:

This is very hard for me to tell this story but some way or another I got to get it off my chest.
Sunday Sept 3, 2000 was a day for fun, relaxing, a cookout and then after it cool down five of us went on a trail ride in Morrow, Ohio. Having great fun without a care in the world. Coming back to our friends house my husband notice the headlights coming down the road at a fast rate of speed my husband yelled at the other two that this vehicle was coming to watch out. Three of the riders were clear of this vehicle but two weren't they tired to split so the vehicle 
could go between them. Instead the vehicle hit Brenda's horse in the rear end with such great force it through her and her horse Coal Burner in the ditch. Then the vehicle hit her husband on the other side with his horse Buck and threw him 50 feet and in the ditch too. This vehicle was a Dodge ton truck duelly 4x4 going 60 miles an hour and the driver was drunk he didn't stop or apply his brakes and went on down the road turn around and stopped in front of the accident. He got out of the truck and was not concerned with any of this. The person sat on his tail gate until the police and life squad came. Both horses were killed. Coal Burner a Rocky Mountain Horse and his buddy Buck who was a gaited horse too. Both of the horses loved there owners so much they died for them The Dodge truck was totaled and had a bent frame and you can see how much force these horses took the owners were just bang up and God was on there shoulders they should have been killed.
They took the drunk driver to the hospital and he posted bond and never went to jail. This upset me a great deal because if someone had died they would have treated this different. Maybe we all learn a lesson from this to watch at all times where we our riding espically if we have to cross a road where traffic is involved. Coal Burner is in my thoughts and prayers he will be sadley missed by myself and Millard for we loved
this horse and so did the lady that broke him herself and bonded to him. Coal Burner was a Register Rocky Mountain Horse he was two years old and a very smart horse. His owner loved him dearly and when she looks out in the field to the mounds where they are buried it chokes her up but she knows he is in heaven having a ball.
This is edited by Marietta & Millard Buchanan Sept 7, 2000