A crash on the Jersey Turnpike on Tuesday left several horses injured and confined to the inside of a trailer.
The trailer was attached to a pickup truck that crashed into a van at 10:44 AM on the South Jersey Turnpike in Bellmawr. The back door and ramp of the trailer were impacted, so the horses were bound inside as the vehicle remained on the shoulder of the highway, as reported by the Cherry Hill Fire Department.
Officials responding to the incident noticed the horses’ injuries, commenting that one experienced symptoms of anguish.
While no humans were hurt, the horses’ safety was a top priority for responders. Fire crews, the State Police and the horses’ owners and partners devised a plan to save the horses, resulting in the Cherry Hill Fire Department’s Squad Company 13 using tools to take off the doors, ramp and interior partition of the trailer.
During the rescue, New Jersey State Police closed down the southbound lanes on the Turnpike. The horses were brought to safety and into the hands of their owners who then drove them for further medical examination.
The horses are now safe, but the crash is currently under further investigation.
