Freedom Handover takes a wild ride
By Kathy McCarty
PRESQUE ISLE — A race horse walked away with minor scrapes and bruises after the trailer it was riding in on South Main Street separated from the truck that was pulling it.
FREEDOM HANDOVER, a race horse who’d competed at the Northern Maine Fair this year, sustained minor injuries when the trailer he was in became detached from the truck that was hauling it Saturday morning on South Main Street. The trailer rolled down the hill, striking a utility pole in front of UMPI, then flipped on its side. The horse was freed and suffered scrapes and bruises but was able to move around on its own. Pictured with Freedom Handover is his owner, Richard Parker, of Buckfield.
“We received a report of an accident around 8:28 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, on South Main Street near the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The caller indicated a horse trailer had become detached from a vehicle and that a horse was in the trailer,” said Sgt. Joey Seeley, Presque Isle Police Department, who investigated the incident.
According to Seeley, the driver of a pickup, identified as Richard Parker, 64, of Buckfield, reported he thought something was wrong with the safety chain between his truck and the horse trailer he was hauling.
“Parker and a man with him, Lorne Bennett, 21, of Buckfield, were traveling south on Main Street near UMPI when the trailer became dislodged but remained secured by safety chains. The men pulled over to the side of the road toward the top of the hill and were attempting to re-attach the trailer when it started rolling backwards and they were unable to stop it,” said Seeley.
The trailer rolled down the hill approximately 200 yards and struck a pole on UMPI’s lawn, causing the trailer to roll over on its side.
“The trailer was carrying a racehorse named Freedom Handover who sustained minor scrapes and bruises,” said Seeley.
Witnesses traveling south at the time of the accident stopped to offer assistance.
“My husband, Mike, and I were traveling south on the Houlton Road when we saw this horse trailer rolling down the hill. All I could do was hope if there was a horse inside, that nothing serious happened. Then the trailer hit the pole and rolled on its side. We stopped to see if there was anything we could do,” said Traci Stone, of Presque Isle.
Stone said the owner tried to open the trailer but was unsuccessful. Her husband then gave it a try, getting the gate open and freeing the horse.
“I saw the owner running down the hill and could hear him say ‘Oh my God, my horse!’ I felt so bad. Once the horse was free, I went over to see how it was and told the man we’d stay with him until the police arrived,” said Stone.
The trailer sustained minor damage and was tipped back on its wheels by Cowett’s Towing Service of Presque Isle. Seeley said Wendell and Joy Duncan, of Presque Isle, came to the scene with their horse trailer and secured the horse for officers.
Parker’s vehicle was insured. Damage to the trailer was estimated around $2,000. Maine Public Service Company was notified to check the pole.
