Barrel racer Jimmie Smith was involved in an accident on June 30 while traveling to a rodeo alongside her traveling partner Bobbi Jo Devereaux.
After blowing a tire, Smith says they were going to safely exit the highway when they were rear-ended by a semi-truck driver that was not paying attention. The crash took off the back 5 feet of Smith’s trailer.
Smith and Devereaux are both okay, however, she could not the same for her horses. Mini and Princess T are both expected to make a full recovery, but Cautro, a horse that Smith had just started riding competitively, did not make it.
“I will never understand the reason bad things happen to amazing athletes, & I will never understand why that driver wasn’t paying attention to the road in broad daylight,” she wrote on Facebook. “I am so sorry buddy, take care of your momma in heaven. I am absolutely so thankful for the Lyne family for their generosity and calling to make sure we were safe. Their kindness & understanding has been amazing.”
Smith’s mount at the 2020 NFR, Lena on the Rocks, was not traveling with her at the time of the accident.