Illinois Highway Accident Kills Horses Likely Bound for Slaughter

An entire region of residents showed their true colors when a semi filled with horses crashed and capsized Saturday night in Wadsworth, Illinois.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday night, October 27, North Dakotan James Anderson, 34, drove an overloaded double-decker cattle truck through a red light. He was traveling northbound on Route 41, allegedly heading from an equine auction in rural Indiana to an unknown destination in Minnesota. His speeding rig barreled into a westbound Chevy Silverado at the Wadsworth Road intersection, sending a 67-year-old Libertyville, IL, driver and his passenger to a local hospital for minor injuries.

Anderson's own passengers, 59 young horses (mostly Belgian drafts), fared much worse, as the trailer rolled over on one side across the highway. The giant rig blocked both lanes of traffic.

The Illinois State Police and the nearby Newport Fire Department arrived in minutes. Moments later, neighboring firefighting teams showed up as well. Large-animal veterinarians from three nearby counties pitched in also. Gary Koehler, John Hannover, Leslie Szalla and other area equine veterinarians rolled up their sleeves to care for the imperiled equines immediately.

As the call went out, local residents launched into action immediately. Equine professionals, enthusiasts and others left the World Series, the bow-hunting season, and even the Lake County Mounted Posse Association's 50^th anniversary celebration to pitch in and save as many traumatized horses as possible. Many arrived in their trucks, with horse trailers already attached, to help transport the animals from the scene.

Local authorities reported that nine of the horses probably died immediately in the crash. Another half-dozen equines had to be euthanized on the spot.

"It was positively horrific," said Scott Golladay, an equine breeder and English and Western equestrian trainer. "I have never seen anything like it. The horses were kicking and screaming inside the trailer."