Emergency teams assisted in calming and herding three horses briefly trapped in a trailer during a car-versus-trailer collision Wednesday northbound on I-79. A driver was transported by EMS for injuries and one horse sustained a leg wound.

CRANBERRY TWP — A rear-end collision that occurred northbound on Interstate 79 in the area of Exit 78 Wednesday afternoon resulted in injuries — both human and equine.

The car-versus-trailer crash caused the back end of a horse trailer to be pushed in.

The driver of the car was transported by emergency personnel for injuries, according to Scott Garing, chief of fire and emergency services for Cranberry Township.

The trailer needed to be disassembled to free the three horses inside.

“They were scared to death,” Garing said. “The owners were there trying to calm them down.”

Garing said although the horses emerged “with some serious power,” emergency personnel were able to shepherd them to a shady spot off the interstate.

The emergency call came in shortly after 1 p.m. and originally resulted in the closure of the northbound lane.The southbound lane at one point was also briefly closed after one horse started walking down the median, according to Garing.Crews from Cranberry fire and EMS departments as well as Adams Area Fire District and state police responded to the scene. Additional rescue and an equine veterinarian were also called to assist.Garing said the veterinarian indicated all three horses were “doing remarkably well” after the crash, despite one having a leg injury.Between emergency responders and the horses' owners, Garing said the scene was able to be cleared by about 3 p.m.“It was great teamwork,” Garing said.

A car-on-trailer rear-end collision on I-79 northbound just north of exit 78 resulted in injuries and tied up traffic for roughly two hours Wednesday afternoon.