Cincinnati Channel 5
Officials: Horse Trailer Accident Could Have Been Prevented
Source: Horses Were To Be Auctioned
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The horses were killed after a double-decker trailer carrying 60 horses overturned on Indiana State Route 1 Sept.15.
Indiana authorities said Ramey Trucking owned the trailer. Police said rules were broken that day, and the driver may have been able to prevent the accident.
"The guy driving the truck had not logged any of the trip," said Beverley Ochs, of Indiana Law Enforcement.
According to officials, the log book violation means police have no way of knowing how long the driver was behind the wheel.
Indiana law mandates only 11 hours driving out of a 14-hour period.
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From Trailer AccidentPolice say the driver, Kelly Ramey, was driving a heavy truck that could have posed a great danger to anyone on S.R. 1.
"They had put the smaller (horses) on the bottom and the taller ones on the top," Ochs said. "I think that's what also probably attributed to it. Once they took to going over the hill, everything heavier on top helped in to roll."
Officials say the horse trailer is not Ramey's first accident. In August 2003, 30 cows died when their trailer crashed in Erlanger. Similar to the horse accident, police said the Ramey's driver lost control, flipping the truck on its side, Girone reported.
An inspection report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that out of 10 inspections over the last two years, the Ramey's have had vehicles put out of service four times.
Out of 31 driver inspections, three drivers were prohibited from driving.
State officials insist log books are extremely important.
The Ramey family says the horses that lived are currently on their property.
A source told WLWT News 5 that the horses were being taken to an auction in Tenn. On the day of the accident.
Previous Stories:
- September 17, 2004: Were Horses Bound For Stables Or Slaughterhouse?
- September 16, 2004: Dozens Of Horses Killed After Trailer Overturns