Östersund,Sweden – A trotting race at Östersundstravet was abruptly halted Friday night when a complete lighting failure plunged the track into darkness,causing a multi-horse collision and sending one driver to the hospital.
The incident occurred during the seventh race, leaving drivers and horses disoriented in what witnesses described as “carbon black” darkness.Several horses and carriages became entangled, resulting in injuries to at least one driver who was transported by ambulance for medical attention. the extent of the driver’s injuries remains unknown. Remaining races for the evening were immediately canceled.
“My horse was lying on my back when the lamps got started and there were horses everywhere,” said driver Liv Sjölund to Travronden, as reported by Östersunds-Posten. Another driver, Oskar Florhed, described the scene to ATG live: “It was carbon black after 200 meters. I had just come to the lead, but you were fully blinded and saw nothing.My horse crossed and was scared. Then I got the whole field over me, I hardly no what happened.”
Östersundstravet CEO Daniel Storey confirmed the incident in a text message to Expressen, stating, “A driver is taken to hospital by ambulance.Investigation on what caused the lighting to go on.”
this is not the first lighting issue at the track Friday night; the lights had previously failed between races earlier in the evening. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the repeated failures and prevent future incidents. Trotting, a popular equestrian sport in Sweden, draws significant local and national attention, and safety concerns following this incident are likely to prompt a review of track infrastructure and emergency protocols.
