Tagged: A14

Danny Sanders was charged with driving without due care and attention following the incident on March 29 on the A14 between junctions 46 and 45 at Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds.

Magistrates in Ipswich heard how Sanders, of Grosvenor Road, Lowestoft, was driving his DAF Truck on the westbound carriageway around 2.50pm when he failed to spot the broken down horsebox and crashed into the back of the vehicle.

The horsebox, which had been on the carriageway for some time and was displaying its hazard warning lights, contained a horse and the animal suffered injuries as a result of the crash.

Extensive damage was also caused to the horsebox and Sanders’ truck left the carriageway and ended up in a ditch, Suffolk Magistrates’ Court heard.

The horse’s injuries were not believed to be serious and no-one else was hurt in the incident.

The carriageway was closed for several hours while emergency services dealt with the incident at the scene.

Sanders, who did not appear before magistrates, pleaded guilty by post and a statement from him was read in court.

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The 41-year-old said he “regretted” the accident and “wished he had pressed the brakes earlier”.

Magistrates adjourned sentence until January 29 at Triton House in Bury St Edmunds.

MORE: Lane closed on A14 after lorry collides with horsebox

Statistics from the British Horse Society revealed that 3,737 road accidents involving horses were reported between November 2010 and March 2019.

A total of 315 horses have been killed as well as 43 people, according to the figures.

But the equestrian charity says that only one in 10 incidents are being reported.

The charity says it continues to campaign to raise awareness of the threats that riders and carriage drivers face.

In April, racehorse Rockwood was killed after a race when it was being transported home on the A15 at Waddingham, near Lincoln.

The head-on collision near Caenby Corner caused the horsebox to flipped on to its side.

The driver, Graeme Scantlebury, and Rocky’s trainer, Karen McLintock, were unharmed in the crash but Rockwood died at the scene.

The dual carriageway was closed from around 3.37am onwards between junction 42 and 43 when a lorry smashed through the central reservation in the early hours of the morning.

Suffolk Constabulary confirmed that the driver had to be taken to hospital for treatment following the incident but that his injuries were not believed to be life threatening.

Highways England were also assisting on the scene and a recovery truck was called at 5am but did not manage to clear the site for a long time due to the debris.

A spokesman from the police warned that the recovery would take hours and said this morning: “There is a lot of damage that’s been caused and it’s going to take quite some time to clear.”

Highways England were aiming to have one lane in each direction moving by 9am if the recovery had gone smoothly but an hour later than that it was still closed.

Drivers were advised to exit on the roundabout before they reached the closure and instead use the A134, A1302 and A1101.

Traffic flow is now back to normal following hours of standstill.