Horses rescued from trailer after multivehicle wreck shuts down I-85 in Gwinnett

The vehicle crashed on I-85 in Gwinnett County.

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation

The vehicle crashed on I-85 in Gwinnett County.

Gwinnett firefighters rescued three horses from a trailer Tuesday evening after a multivehicle wreck on I-85 brought northbound traffic to a standstill.

A collision involving the horse trailer, a box truck and a tractor-trailer occurred about 4:40 p.m. near Ga. 317 in unincorporated Suwanee, Gwinnett fire spokesman Donald Strother said.

The trailer was carrying three horses at the time of the crash, which occurred in the left lanes near the median wall.

RELATED: Photos: Weird things that have snarled Atlanta traffic

Two of the horses were rescued from the damaged trailer without the use of heavy-duty equipment, Strother said. The third horse was injured in the crash, however, and had to be extricated on the side of the interstate.

Three horses were rescued from a trailer Tuesday evening after a multivehicle wreck on I-85 brought northbound traffic to a standstill.

Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services

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Credit: Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services

Firefighters cut apart the trailer and the horse was lifted out, authorities said. After being removed, the horse was able to walk despite its injuries. Animal control brought a new trailer to transport the animals from the scene, and a veterinarian was called in to assess their injuries.

Two people were also injured in the collision, authorities said. One was evaluated by paramedics at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The wreck caused headaches for drivers, who had to squeeze by in two right lanes, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.

Tuesday’s incident wasn’t the first time metro Atlanta drivers have had to deal with odd traffic problems.

In October 2018, a truck carrying 89 calves from Florida tipped over on the I-285 East ramp at the I-75 interchange in Cobb County, letting some of the cows loose into traffic. Several were hit by cars, and 11 died.

A truck carrying 10,000 pounds of explosives overturned on Ga. 53 in Dawson County on Sept. 10. The highway was closed for hours while a hazmat unit worked to clean up the scene.

And in July, drivers were stopped on I-285 near Ashford Dunwoody Road after $175,000 in cash spilled onto the interstate.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter. 

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