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[Oxjockey]

Four ponies killed during crash on Rt. 33

Tuesday, October 21, 2003


By RUSS FLANAGAN
The Express-Times

HAMILTON TWP. -- Four ponies from a Lower Saucon Township-based amusement rental company were killed and two people were injured, one critically, Sunday night when a horse trailer dislodged from a truck and was smashed by oncoming traffic.

The crash occurred at 8 p.m. along Route 33 north, about a half-mile south of the Lehighton exit in Monroe County, state police at Swiftwater said.

The ponies were on their way back from the Shawnee Balloon Festival in a trailer pulled by a truck driven by 52-year-old Fanny Joyner, police said, though the ponies' owner disputed who was driving. The trailer unhooked then veered across the median and into the northbound lane, police said.

The trailer was then struck by a vehicle driven by Catherine Schratt, 61, of Skytop, Pa., and again moments later by a vehicle driven by Kylie Friend, 23, of Stroudsburg, state police said.

Friend was flown by helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, where she was listed in critical condition Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Schratt was taken by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center, where she was treated and released for a head injury.

Joyner, of Allentown, was uninjured, state police said.

The ponies belonged to Noah's World of Animals and Amusement Rides of the 2500 block of Black River Road in Lower Saucon Township.

Noah's offers a variety of animals, rides and games for birthday parties, church festivals, corporate outings, grand openings and other celebrations. It has been in business for about 12 years, said Barbara Mattos, the company's office manager.

Dave Adams, owner of the business, said he lost four of his five ponies -- Coco, Bobby Sox, Beauty and Peanuts -- in the crash. He said the ponies, which ranged in age from 8 to 12, were popular with customers.

"Kids always liked them, and parents always liked getting their kids a pony ride," he said. "It's a big hit."

Mattos said the ponies were being used for rides at the balloon festival on Saturday.

Adams was at the crash site Sunday night but said he did not know why the trailer unhooked from the truck. He said the truck was actually driven by Earl Joyner of Allentown, not Fanny Joyner, whom state police identified as the driver.

The crash blocked northbound traffic on the highway for about two hours.

They keep these ponies right down the road from me, we see them every day to/from work...not to mention the human hurt, as well.

[FYRMAN]

That is why a beakaway system isn't an option, but a requirement.

[smurfsdad]

Got any good ideas on how to keep the breakaway battery charged, i currently buy a new one the first of every year.

[70~K5]

Originally posted by smurfsdad
Got any good ideas on how to keep the breakaway battery charged, i currently buy a new one the first of every year.

Do you have power where you park your trailer? If so then buy a "battery tender" like people use for motorcycles and plug it in.

[Benny]

Originally posted by smurfsdad
Got any good ideas on how to keep the breakaway battery charged, i currently buy a new one the first of every year.

your truck is supposed to charge it

Time for a rewire

[rusted]

Originally posted by Benny


your truck is supposed to charge it

Time for a rewire

The truck won't charge it if the truck is going down the road and the trailer is sitting by the barn!

[DRM]

Originally posted by rusted


The truck won't charge it if the truck is going down the road and the trailer is sitting by the barn!

I would suggest one of the small 12v solar panel trickle chargers for when the trailer is not in use. Seems like an easy solution if you park your trailer away from a power source to use a plug-in style trickle charger/maintainer.

[FYRMAN]

Now, you guys know me. I don't like to gloat over how much I know about this stuff. It's not me, cause I hate it when other people do it to me. 99% of what I have learned is just from keeping my eyes open at work. I learn new stuff everyday, and I get corrected often enough to remember that I really don't know everything. But....










Every last one of you fawkers is wrong.



It depends entirely on what kind of battery you are buying. If you are buying a new one every year, you probably have the little sucker that has two male spade terminals coming out of the top. Will either be a dry cell, or a gel cell, battery. The most amperage you can charge those batteries with is 1.2 amps. Any more, and.... well, you know what happens to batteries when they get too much amperage put to them.

They make a charger to charge those batteries while you are towing the trailer. It's just a little black box that slides inside the battery box. You have to have a battery wire hooked up to the trailer so that it will work. Cost is anywhere from $15 to $50.

All this thing does is choke down the amperage coming out of the alternator to amperage that the battery can safely handle. Next time you buy a battery, ask about a charger instead. It's a lot cheaper in the long run.

[70~K5]

Has there been any updates on why the trailer came off the truck? Did the ball break, or wasn't it hooked up right to start?

[Oxjockey]

I haven't seen anything in the local papers, but this area isn't really media central. If I hear anything, I'll post up.

Bryan