Third horse killed and woman injured in second crash on A127

Police and other emergency services were called to a second incident on Saturday on the A132 Nevendon junction where a loose horse had collided with a car in the Wickford and Basildon area.

The crash was only a mile away from where two horses died the same morning, from the day’s earlier horror crash involving three horses.

Just before 8pm police received reports of a horse running on the Southend bound track of the A127, opposite the Dick Turpin pub. On police arrival, the horse had collided with a car and was dead.

The male driver of a Renault Megane, from Orpington in Kent, received minor injuries but his 52 year old wife, a front seat passenger, received facial injuries and was taken to Basildon Hospital after fire crews from Basildon, Wickford, and Rayleigh Weir had helped release her from the car and put on a spinal board. She was treated and released from hospital the same evening.

Essex Police believe the horses had broken loose and escaped from its tether from a nearby site.

Sub officer at Basildon Ricardo Latora said: “It was awful and happened a few hundred yards down the road from the earlier crash with three horses.”

Insp Dick Thomas from Essex Police said: “Work is on-going by local police officers to ensure horse owners are reminded of their responsibility under the Animal Act 1971 that they have a duty of care to prevent horses or any animal straying onto the highway.

“The investigation into the causes of the collision with two horses around 6am and the second incident around 8pm continues. That investigation will include the circumstances of how the horses came to be on the A127 and whether any offences by the horse owners have been committed or not.

“Where the circumstances and evidence shows that horse owners have been negligent then Essex Police will seek to prosecute.

“Horses straying on the roads places the welfare of the motorist and the animal at risk and every horse owner must ensure that they take every precaution to keep their horses safe and secured. Fences should be sufficiently robust to prevent escape and gates shut at all times. Regular checks must be made of the fence condition and repairs undertaken to prevent escape. With ownership of a horse comes with responsibility and we will seek to prosecute those who show a disregard for this responsibility.”

A spokeswoman said they were treating the crashes as two separate incidents and it appeared to be a “coincidence” that the horses escaped from two farms on to the same stretch of road on the same day.

In the first crash, involving four cars and a lorry, two out of three escaped horses died. A third was rounded-up unhurt.

A man in his 60s received a serious head injury and was transferred to a London hospital later on Saturday.

Officers called the crashes “distressing” and any affected witnesses have been recommended to seek counselling.