A harness racing groom has filed a lawsuit after having been trampled by a loose Standardbred at a North American raceway.
According to an article by the Illinois Patch, the incident in question took place in 2015 at the now-defunct and transitioning Balmoral Park
In her lawsuit, groom Shelley Steele, 52, states that she was walking back to the paddock after having taken her horse to the racetrack. She states that she was then run over by a Standardbred.
Steele claims that the Standardbred that trampled her had just finished racing. She states it had became spooked while being detached from its sulky. Steele claims the horse broke free, got loose and acted wildly.
The lawsuit claims that the loose horse knocked Steele to the ground and stomped her numerous times, which caused serious injuries.
Steele is suing the loose horse’s owner and the groom that was looking after the loose horse during the incident.
(With files from the Illinois Patch)
When will the Standardbred
When will the Standardbred industry recognize there are safety rules, which should be implemented? What is the reason lead shanks are not REQUIRED to be hooked to ALL HORSES before and after the races? Recognize that we have a safety problem and require corrections. Horses can be spooked even if they normally are well-mannered.