Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By George Fusner, Jr., Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Amber Kendrick, 12-years-old, was tragicallly killed during a hit and run horseback riding accident when a motorist struck her horse in Madison County, Tennessee. According to the Madison Country Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred in the 200 block of Diamond Cove Road. A truck was traveling northbound when it struck a horse being ridden by Kendrick and Matthew Webb. The collision caused Kendrick to be ejected from the horse. Investigators said the truck continued north and struck a second horse being ridden by 20-year-old John Thomas Gobbell.
Allegedly, the driver of the truck stopped after the crash, removed the license plate from the vehicle and fled the scene. Kendrick was taken to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital where she was sadly pronounced dead. The other riders, Webb and Gobbell sustained minor injuries, and both of the horses died after the crash.
According to statistics, an estimated 30 million people ride horses each year in the United States. However, more than 2,300 riders under the age of 25 are sent to the hospital for treatment because of horseback-riding injuries. Believe it or not, horseback riding carries a higher risk of injury than motorcycling: on average, motorcyclists suffer an injury once every 7000 hours of riding whereas a horseback rider may have a serious injury accident once every 350 hours. The most common type of horseback riding related injuries are bruises, strains and sprains which affect the soft tissues (skin, ligaments, tendons, and muscles). Other types of injuries often include fractures, dislocations and concussions. For more information on this topic, see 12-year-old killed in hit and run horseback riding accident.