Sailor Killed When Car Crashes Into Truck Pulling Loaded Horse Trailer

Tragedy included one fatality and injuries to 3 people and 2 horses.

Photo: GoFundMe

(AURORA, Ore.) - Police are still investigating a fatal motor vehicle crash involving two vehicles that collided at the intersection of Ehlen Road NE and Butteville Road NE, Sunday morning.

A passenger car was north on Butteville when it failed to stop at the Ehlen Road intersection, causing a collision with a truck pulling a horse trailer westbound on Ehlen Road NE, according to Police.

The driver of the passenger car was seriously injured and life flighted to a Portland hospital. The passenger died on scene. She has been identified as 25-year old Stephanie Stover. She was in the Navy and stationed in Everett, Washington on the USS Gridley.

The truck's occupants were both taken to area hospitals and are expected to live.

The trailer contained two horses that were attended to by a veterinarian on scene. Then, they were emergency transported to Oregon State University Vet Hospital to be treated.

Members of the Marion County Crash Team and Oregon State Troopers were on scene investigating and the intersection was closed in all directions for several hours.

One of the horse’s owners has explained the tragic chain of events, which continues for everyone involved. She is raising money to help pay bills for the horses.

“Two days ago a person's worst nightmare happened,” began Kayla Marie Weiner of Battleground, Washington.

“Sunday, I loaned my horse, Cali, out to my friend Sierra for a rodeo drill team practice as a backup. I was working, so she and her boyfriend Joel came and picked Cali up with Tucker in the trailer and were driving an hour and a half away to Yamhill County Fairgrounds for practice.

“On the way there, a driver ran a stop sign going very fast and smacked into the side of their truck, on my friend’s side. This caused the trailer to disconnect from the truck, break the tow chains, and flip over, while the truck continued to roll.

“To get the horses out crews had to cut the top of the horse trailer off.

“They had to use the jaws of life to get my friend out of the truck. She was life-flighted to the nearest hospital. She has fractures in her upper back, and a lot of cuts and bruises, and Joel broke his wrist and cut his hand,” Kayla Marie Weiner wrote on her GoFundMe page.

“Both horses have lacerations on their right hind legs, in places they go down to the joint.

“Cali had to have surgery for that and an 8 inch laceration on her stomach that is prone to a hernia. The tendons and joints aside from being exposed look in-tact, and if everything goes well and without infection, she may only come out of this with concern for arthritis in her joints.

“Tucker is in similar condition with his leg. Cali is going to be at the college hospital for a week to ten days minimum as long as everything goes perfect from here on out, and I imagine Tucker will be down there for a similar amount of time.

“We do not know yet whether our horses will be covered by insurance or if they are, if it will even cover it all. Answers are pouring in very slowly, the process is going to be drawn out for a long time and we have estimates on Cali for $6000-8000 at this point and a similar amount for Tucker,” wrote Kayla Marie Weiner.

If anyone would like to help offset these veterinary costs, please go to: GoFundMe.

“Any money will be used to help pay these bills. I intend to split this money for Sierra's family for equal use on both of our horses. Any little bit will help as we are being asked to pay this money before we pick up our poor horses.”

The crash investigation is ongoing and Yamhill County says they don't anticipate another release of information for at least a couple weeks.

Sources include: News Releases from Marion Co. Sheriff's Office; Yamhill County; Facebook; GoFundMe