HORSE STEPS ON LIVE WIRE

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26124, 29 May 1950, Page 6

HORSE STEPS ON LIVE WIRE

RIDER RECEIVES SEVERE SHOCK INCIDENT NEAR WHITE'S BRIDGE When his horse stopped on a live wire a settler near White's bridge, Mr L. Wright, had a remarkable escape from death or serious injury on Saturday evening. During the day Mr Wright had been ranging over his flooded farm on horse-back endeavouring to keep a flock of ewes and a herd of cattle on high ground. As Mr Wright was riding his hack in just after dusk the horse apparently stood on a live power line, which was under the water. As the horse sank to the ground Mr Wright placed his hands on the front of the saddle to lever himself off. and as he did so he received a fairly severe shock. “As I came off the horse." said Mr Wright. “I made up my mind that I was not going to be drowned as well as electrocuted, and somehow I scrambled from the roodway up a stopbonk." He eventually found himself in a somewhat dazed condition at the top of the bank holding handfuls of grass. The incident took place on a roadwav alongside Mr Wright's house, which is located to lhe south of While's bridge. The floods had washed out a power pole, pulling the lines down. Mr Wright had been in the same loralitv several times earlier in the day 'Yesterday morning the North Canterbury Electric Power Board was reerecting the pole and down the road a few yards the horse was lying dead alongside the stopbank.