Posted: Jun 12, 2012 11:46 AM Updated: Jun 12, 2012 3:04 PM
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Authorities are investigating after a fully loaded horse trailer collapsed while traveling Tuesday along Interstate 440 in south Nashville.
The incident was reported at around noon, when the trailer carrying 37 horses structurally failed by collapsing in the center.
One of the horses was euthanized due to its injuries, and the others were loaded onto a different trailer.
The trailer is associated with Three Angels Farms in Lebanon, according to Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron.
"Seeing the horses here, given the traumatic experience of the trailer collapsing or bowing in the middle, it's sad," Aaron said.
No other vehicles are believed to be involved, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will continue to investigate.
In January, a livestock trailer from Three Angels Farms was loaded with 38 horses when it crashed near mile marker 182 in Williamson County.
The truck's driver suffered minor injuries in the crash after authorities said he likely fell asleep at the wheel. Three of the horses were killed, and two were seriously injured.
After the January wreck, the Channel 4 I-Team uncovered documents that showed four injured horses from Three Angels Farm were rejected by Mexican veterinarians at the border, just two days after the Three Angels Farm trailer wrecked on the interstate in Tennessee.
The owner of Three Angels Farm, Dorian Ayache, told reporters at the time that the surviving horses were headed to a farm in Oklahoma after the accident.
However, documents on file in Mexico show 34 horses were sold in Mexico to Inter Meats, an exporter that frequently ships horse meat to Belgium. According to an invoice, Ayache sold the horses for 37 cents per pound for a total of $11,100.
Stay with WSMV.com for updates as more information becomes available.
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