A crash on Route 318 has claimed the lives of four reining horses and left two people injured as they traveled to the High Roller Reining Classic horse show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 4, when a truck-and-trailer rig carrying the horses was forced off the highway by another vehicle, according to Nicole Renick Johnson.
Johnson and her husband Adam were driving separate rigs, with a third vehicle driven by their two assistants. After making an overnight stop in Ely, the team was continuing their journey when the southbound rig carrying six horses veered off the road around 7:30 a.m., resulting in a fatal accident for most of the animals on board.
Johnson described the tragic loss, saying that four of the six horses did not survive the crash.
“Two are at the vet hospital,” she said. “Both of those horses will make it. One had minor cuts and wounds, and the other one had quite a bit of damage to the one side of his face, but he’s put together and both of them will be fine.”
The two assistants traveling in the rig escaped with only minor injuries. One sustained a fractured thumb, while the other suffered a sprained ankle.
“It was a terrible day, but at the end of the day, I’m glad that the two girls that were in that truck came out alive,” Johnson added. “Because I don’t know how they did it—it was definitely a miracle.”
Despite the loss, Nicole expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the reining community.
“We’ll move on,” she said. “Everybody’s been so supportive, so we’ll get through it, and move on—and that’s all we can do.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and neither local nor state authorities have provided additional details about the other vehicle involved or the condition of its driver.
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