Family whose prized horse was killed when it fell through floor of ‘death trap’ lorry wins payout 

A family whose prized horse was killed when it fell through the floor of a ‘death trap’ £65,000 lorry have received a five-figure settlement.

Carole Mutch was transporting eventer Gorsehill Echo to a friend’s farm when it fell through the horsebox’s 1.8cm plywood flooring in March 2015.

The horse, thought to be worth £35,000, became trapped between the double wheels – breaking its leg and severing its hoof and had to be euthanized while still stuck inside the vehicle.

Ms Mutch claims Alexanders Horseboxes, who built the £65,000 lorry, cut corners when fitting the 18mm wooden flooring without the correct support.

Carole Mutch was transporting Gorsehill Echo when it fell through the horsebox’s 1.8cm plywood flooring in March 2015. Pictured: Ms Mutch with one of her horses 

The horse, thought to be worth £35,000, became trapped between the double wheels - breaking its leg and severing its hoof and had to be euthanized while still stuck inside the lorry 

The horse, thought to be worth £35,000, became trapped between the double wheels – breaking its leg and severing its hoof and had to be euthanized while still stuck inside the lorry 

Ms Mutch claims Alexanders Horseboxes, who built the £65,000 lorry (pictured), cut corners when fitting the 18mm wooden flooring without the correct support

Ms Mutch claims Alexanders Horseboxes, who built the £65,000 lorry (pictured), cut corners when fitting the 18mm wooden flooring without the correct support

Ms Mutch, whose son Harry is a professional event rider, is now calling for the law to be changed so all horse vehicles are required to have sturdy aluminium floors.

Alexanders Horseboxes said they do not accept liability and said it was important vehicles are correctly maintained and not neglected.

Ms Mutch, from Whitley Bay, Northumberland, said: ‘I think they murdered my horse.’ 

She continued: ‘The day we lost Echo I saw something I never ever thought I would see.

‘When I could see that his tail was touching the ground I knew how bad it was.

‘The fire service that attended that day had to use 400 gallons of water to clean the blood from the back of the lorry.

‘My son and Echo had a very special bond and they had a very promising future ahead of them.

‘We were all so devastated and even now we miss him so much.

‘He was a horse of a lifetime when he had finished his job with Harry he would never have been sold, he would have stayed with our family. He was a horse in a million.

‘I struggled for a long time afterwards and couldn’t leave the house or sleep. Even crossing the road sent me into a panic.’ 

Ms Mutch, whose son Harry is a professional event rider, is now calling for the law to be changed so all horse vehicles are required to have sturdy aluminium floors. Pictured: Harry riding Echo 

Ms Mutch, whose son Harry is a professional event rider, is now calling for the law to be changed so all horse vehicles are required to have sturdy aluminium floors. Pictured: Harry riding Echo 

After the loss of their beloved horse, the Mutch family received a five-figure out of court settlement

After the loss of their beloved horse, the Mutch family received a five-figure out of court settlement

Ms Mutch added: ‘I believe they cut corners putting a plywood floor in. Why plywood was ever on the floor is beyond me, the advert the horsebox was built from states alloy plank flooring as a standard feature.

‘My horse trusted me with his life and I thought I was doing the right thing by spending so much money on the lorry.

‘I loaded Echo and another horse onto that death trap that morning. I really had no idea there was only 1.8cm between them and the road.’

Ms Mutch had been taking her son’s two horses to her friend’s farm in Jedburgh, near the Scottish Border, so they could be exercised when she felt a bang and thought the lorry had blown a tyre.

She was quickly flagged down by a passerby, who informed her she could see the horse’s tail lying on the ground and it looked like it had fallen through the floor.

Echo’s hind leg had fallen through the floor and between the double wheels, causing a fracture above the hock, its hoof to become dislodged and extensive bleeding.

A local farmer friend who was close by had to put the nine-year-old event horse down after it became clear the animal would not recover and was suffering.

Ms Mutch, who helps son Harry run his own yard in Whitley Bay, said: ‘We had nothing but problems with the box since it was delivered in September 2012. 

Ms Mutch said of the lorry: 'Five months in it was off the road. It was disgustingly built - it was hardly used in the two and a half years we had it and six weeks before the accident it had a mechanical fault'

Ms Mutch said of the lorry: ‘Five months in it was off the road. It was disgustingly built – it was hardly used in the two and a half years we had it and six weeks before the accident it had a mechanical fault’

Ms Mutch said: 'My horse trusted me with his life and I thought I was doing the right thing by spending so much money on the lorry'

Ms Mutch said: ‘My horse trusted me with his life and I thought I was doing the right thing by spending so much money on the lorry’

She continued: ‘Five months in it was off the road. It was disgustingly built – it was hardly used in the two and a half years we had it and six weeks before the accident it had a mechanical fault.

‘After the accident, I called the owner straight away to tell him he had murdered my horse, they tried to tell me that to was actually a blowout which had killed Echo.

‘The beams supporting the floor should be 13 to 16 millimeters apart, but the gap that Echo fell through was 24 inches.

‘If the box had been used more, then the accident would have happened in the first 18 months.

‘We were lucky that we had not been travelling on the motorway as it could have killed us or another road user.

‘It should never have happened.’

After the loss of their beloved horse, the Mutch family received a five-figure out of court settlement.

Alexanders Horseboxes said the horsebox was kept in a poor condition and accepted no liability for the tragedy but Ms Mutch claims the floor was tested for traces of urine that could have caused the floor to rot, and none were found.

Son, Harry, who is now 21, is now competing professionally at three-star level with his horse, HD Bronze, who was also travelling on the lorry at the time of the accident.

Son, Harry, who is now 21, is now competing professionally at three-star level with his horse, HD Bronze, who was also travelling on the lorry at the time of the accident. Pictured: Harry riding Echo 

Son, Harry, who is now 21, is now competing professionally at three-star level with his horse, HD Bronze, who was also travelling on the lorry at the time of the accident. Pictured: Harry riding Echo 

Ms Mutch wants to warn others of the dangers of inadequate flooring in horseboxes and is urging horse owners to check before purchasing

Ms Mutch wants to warn others of the dangers of inadequate flooring in horseboxes and is urging horse owners to check before purchasing

Ms Mutch wants to warn others of the dangers of inadequate flooring in horseboxes and is urging horse owners to check before purchasing.

She said: ‘Floors should be checked at plating to make sure they are fit for purpose.

‘They should be checked at MOT as standard, because the horsebox was a brand new build I would not have thought about checking the floor for at least three years but probably more like five years.

‘A lot of people I have spoken to have also said the same. Had the floor been checked at its first MOT by someone independent of Alexander’s it would have been picked up and taken off the road immediately.’

A spokesman for Alexanders Horseboxes said: ‘Despite the very poor condition the vehicle had been kept in, the claimant sought damages and, after due legal process, a commercial decision was made by our insurers to make an out-of-court award of less than 20 percent of the original claim.

‘The horsebox was manufactured by another company, with whom we no longer work, and Alexanders Horseboxes acted only as the distributor in this case.

‘While we have made absolutely no admission of any liability, all parties have accepted the judgment.

‘We take safety very seriously – it is the very reason we started the business back in 2005 – and as horse lovers we were extremely distressed by this case.

‘It is a reminder that proper maintenance of your horsebox is part and parcel of owning a horse and that extreme neglect can have very tragic consequences.’ 



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