BY LINDA BENTLEY | APRIL 10, 2013
Former councilman injured in freak equestrian accident
CAVE CREEK – What started out as a scenic morning group horseback ride on Saturday by the waterfall near Horseshoe Lake quickly turned to disaster when former Councilman Terry Smith (r) was kicked squarely in the face by his horse with both feet.
In a remote area without cell phone service, Greg, a member of the riding party got Smith up on his own mule and ran alongside them back to his vehicle and drove Smith to the hospital.
Due to the extent of his injuries, Smith was subsequently transported to the trauma unit at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborne.
Smith was placed on a ventilator and taken into surgery where his face, which was completely crushed, was reconstructed with a number of plates and countless screws and bolts.
The latest word was that Smith did not suffer any brain damage and was taken off the ventilator Monday.
Councilwoman Shelley Anderson, who was also in the riding party and witnessed the incident, called it “a horrific freak accident,” especially in light of Smith’s vast experience as a horseman and cowboy.
