BALDWINSVILLE -- She once led a quiet life. Now the baldwinsville woman who posted a video to YouTube of a horse-drawn carriage gone wrong is fielding calls from CNN and Inside Edition. The video shows her getting upset in New York City when the driver allegedly goes to pick up other passengers after the horse tripped and ended up on the ground. The story has generated hundreds of comments on our website and facebook page alone.
"I am so proud of what I did, I don't have any regrets," Theresa Shaver said while acknowledging that some of the feedback she has gotten is negative.
"You have to expect that from people who only know me from these two videos," Shaver said. "They don't know me personally, so I don't take it personal"
Shaver posted the video on July 31st and says she never expected to get this much attention. She says most of the nastiness has been with online comments and she doesn't understand the personal attacks.
"I don't envy people who have to go through this all the time, it's exhausting," she said. "I lead a normal life, I work full time, I have a family and I go to school."
Shaver says her hope is that her story will help lawmakers make a decision about horse-drawn carriages in New York City where there is a movement by animal rights activists and some lawmakers to ban them. This was only Shaver's second visit to the city and living in Central New York, she was unaware of the controversy. Now she says some animal rights groups want her speak on the issue and she is "considering it" as long as it doesn't "interfere" with her personal life.
While the spotlight isn't fading for now, her attention is shifting to another story that's getting a lot of attention. Shaver is a Verizon employee and could be going on strike Saturday at midnight when the contract between the company and thousands of union workers expires.
You can become part of this conversation. What do you think of Shaver's experience and how she's been treated?
