PRAYERS Requested: Bob Skelding - Wagon Teamster is struck in route

The Lawrence Journal-World & 6 News ^ | Feb 10 - 12, 2009 | Charles Edwards

[Yosemitest]

The Macon Beacon, a local newspaper, has established a fund at the Macon Mississippi Branch of Citizens National Bank for Bob and the surviving horses.
The Bob Skelding Wagonteamster Benefit Fund
Citizens National Bank
P.O. Box 426
Macon, MS 39341

Tel. 662-726-5861

Donations can go directly to that bank or any other Citizens National Bank in Mississippi. The website to view branch locations is www.yourcnb.com or call 1-866-333-4CNB (4262) . If donating by check, please make it payable to "The Bob Skelding Wagonteamster Benefit Fund".

Well wishers can e-mail bob@wagonteamster.com and to Daughter Lisa. Comments are welcome to Bob at The Commercial Dispatch, at the bottom of the page.

Okay Freepers, you know what to do.

Thank You.

[Yosemitest]

Click here for Phone Directory at

Rush Foundation Hospital
1314 19th Ave
Meridian, MS 39301
phone number 601-483-0011

[NoPrisoners]

Prayers up for Bob and his horses!

[JDoutrider]

My heart, and a humble prayer goes out to him and his team...

[not2worry]

Sometimes God gets me up this time of day for a reason.

I believe in miracles.

Prayers for a swift recover for Bob. He lives for his horses and his horses are likely praying for him as well.

When you have something to live for as the Lord said choose Life.

Please keep me informed on Bob and his posse.

[lysie]

Praying.

[NoPrisoners]

Sometimes God gets me up this time of day for a reason

I'm just headed off to sleep...but like you, God directs my attentions where they are needed. More prayers for Bob!

[ApplegateRanch]

bookmark for later.

[Mad Dawg]

Prayers up. I think Percherons are beautiful animals, and I don’t know nuthin about no horses.

[gimme1ibertee]

Wow. I’ve never heard of this guy but the story is incredible.
I hope and pray he and his horses will come out of this ok and he can go back to doing what he loves to do.So sad.

[vetvetdoug]

Our clinic has been reading Bob's daily blogs. We first knew of him when he came through Tennessee into Mississippi and his travel went right by the clinic. We were saddened when we read the news yesterday morning. Prayers to this man.

[stickandrudder]

My Prayers go out to Bob.

I drove a team for years. Always dangerous out on the road. But the worst was a parade where they put a Bagpipe band behind me. Mine were not “Scottish” horses and they could not get far enough away from whatever that was coming up behind us. Had my hands full that time!

[The Bass Player]

Saying prayers.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Prayers for the gentleman.

[Yosemitest]

Injured Wagon Driver Gets "Flood" Of Support
By Neal Wagner, February 13, 2009

Donors from all over the country have shown an "outpouring of support" for a New Hampshire man injured when an 18-wheeler struck his horse-drawn recreational vehicle near the Noxubee-Kemper county line shortly before noon, Tuesday.

(Map of location of accident can be seen at this location on the left.)
"We have been absolutely flooded with calls from people from here, New Hampshire and all over the country wanting to donate to the fund,"
said Brandie Graham, an employee at Citizens National Bank in Macon.

Bob Skelding, 49, sustained non life-threatening head injuries after a tanker truck struck his horse-drawn RV while both were traveling on Highway 45 South, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The RV was destroyed, and two of Skelding's four horses "Deedee and Dollie" died.


DeeDee

Dollie
Skelding remained in a Meridian hospital this morning.

After the wreck, the Macon Beacon newspaper and Citizens bank in Macon set up an aid fund for Skelding and his surviving horses. While bank officials were not able to reveal the exact amount donated to the fund, they said many donations have been "steadily flowing" into the fund since Tuesday.

"There is definitely a lot of interest in it,"
Graham said.
"We have been taking calls left and right from people concerned about Mr. Skelding and his horses."

Public interest in Skelding"s surviving horses, Doc and Joyce, also has been high since the wreck.

"The horses are doing fine today. They are actually out grazing right now,"
said Kathy Allen, an employee at Dr. William Calvert's Veterinary Clinic in DeKalb, who is caring for the horses.
"We have been getting a lot of calls from people concerned about the horses.

"Some people call wanting to donate, and we direct them to the Citizens National Bank,"
Allen added.
"There is definitely a lot of interest."

Interest also has been high on several Internet sites. Since the accident, about 4,680 people have signed Skelding's guest book at www.wagonteamster.com. More than 200 people have posted blog comments on www.cdispatch.com (at the bottom of the page)in response to stories about the accident.

Citizens National Bank continues to accept donations for Skelding's aid fund. Anyone who wishes to donate to the fund should call 662-726-5861, mail a check to

Citizens National Bank
P.O. Box 426,
Macon, MS, 39341,
or visit any Mississippi Citizens National Bank. Checks should be made out to "The Bob Skelding Wagonteamster Benefit Fund."

Reader Comments can be posted at the bottom of the link's page.

[Yosemitest]

You answer to how this happened (from thread HORSE LOVERS: Bob Skelding - The Healing Begins

is on this post.

[Rumplemeyer]

I know what happened, my question is HOW did the chauffeur hit their wagon?

[Yosemitest]

This is what I have...

Click here for a google map of the crash location on the left of this link site.

Gene Bonner, an over-the-road trucker and former Deputy Sheriff, was driving his truck northbound on U.S. 45 between Meridian and Columbus Mississippi around 11:30AM on the morning of February 10th.

It was a partly cloudy day with good visibility.
Gene was one of three trucks on the road with two trucks from the T.K. Stanley Company directly behind him. Gene stated,

“I saw Bob’s wagon up ahead, so I signaled-left to pass him. The truck behind me did the same,
but as I watched in my rear-view mirror, I saw what looked like an atom-bomb go off when he (the third truck) hit Bob’s wagon. It was a sight”
(Photo by Scott Boyd of the Macon Beacon)

Gene pulled to the side of the road as quickly as he could and approached a group of people who had gathered alongside the road.

“I saw Bob lying in the ditch, and I asked if he was still alive and they said ‘he’s dead’.
I asked if anybody had gone over to him to see, but no one had, so I went over to see for myself.
I felt for a carotid pulse and he had one, so I stayed with him.

Gene went on to say;

“…just about the time I felt for a pulse, Bob woke up and asked ‘what happened’,
so I told him.
The first thing he asked was how was his horses and about his dog, Clementine”

Gene then brought his dog over to Bob so the two of them could be together. Gene said,

“The dog was sitting all by itself in the middle of the debris just shaking, so I took him over to Bob until the EMT’s arrived. Then I took the dog to my wife so our Vet could take a look at him. The Vet said she was in pretty good shape for a sixteen year-old dog, all things considering.”

Gene told me that, aside from Bob being unconscious, his only other visible wounds were some abrasions and cuts that would need some stitches.

“…it was pretty miraculous that Bob didn’t have more or worse injuries”

From this report I can only ASSUME...

He had left Brooksville, MS (from his last entry in his journal)northbound on State Highway 45 Alt, headed towards Crawford, MSthat their were at least 4 tractor trailers trying to pass. One and two passed fine, but number three was trapped in the right lane of the 2 northbound lanes of Highway 45 alternate, as truck number 4 was in the left lane beside him. I assume it was truck number 3 that rear-ended the wagon.

Thats what I think, but I wasn't there. I'm just a Freeper living in Mississippi that saw the report on a computer, and remembers seeing the wagon on a trailer In Meridian, several weeks ago, at a wielding shop. I also remember seeing a report about that trailer on Rural Free Delivery TV.

[NoPrisoners]

BTTT!

[JDoey]

I am curious if anyone has news on the truck driver? It seems to have run his truck off the road and possibly into the trees? I feel sorry very much for Bob, but also for the truck driver. Something like this could happen to any of us driving down the highway. It’s very unforunate for both parties involved.