Trailer Hauling 36 Horses Overturned in Tennessee
Driver says He Fell Asleep.

Local news sources in Memphis are reporting that a serious accident on Monday evening, which tied up traffic for more than five hours, involved a truck and trailer hauling at least 36 horses.  The  truck's driver told Tennessee Highway Patrol that he fell asleep at the wheel.

The horses were trapped in the wreckage and rescuers, including animal control and volunteers with trailers, worked to free them.  Three had to be euthanized for serious injuries.  

The large number of horses in the trailer apparently is legal as long as the trailer has a single deck.

There were discrepancies in the stories told by the driver and by the owner of the farm where the shipment originated.  One said the animals were being taken to Texas while the other maintained the destination was a feedlot in Oklahoma.  

Some reports suggested that the horses were headed to slaughter in Mexico, but the owner, Dorian Ayache , told Channel5news.com: 

"We sell them to different dealers, we have different people for different purposes. Some of them are bucking horses for rodeos, some of them are good riding horses, walking horses quarter horses. And we sell them to different dealers, and from there they sell them to individuals. We sell them to dealers, what they do with them I don't know."

The accident is being investigated by both local and federal officials.

For more information, check www.wmctv.com and www.newchannel5.com.

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