April 18, 2023 at 12:27 am
A nine-year-old child is in stable condition after an SUV collided with a carriage in Ashfield-Colbourne-Wawanosh on Monday.
The accident happened on Belgrave Road between the St. Augustine and Donnybrook lines.
The child was thrown from the pram and had to be taken to a London hospital for treatment. There were four occupants in the car, but only one was seriously injured.
According to Huron County OPP Constable Craig Soldan, no charges were filed because the collision was caused by animal error.
“The SUV driver was traveling westbound on Belgrave Road and the horse-drawn cart was traveling eastbound on the shoulder when the horse suddenly turned left into the path of the westbound SUV,” he said. “The driver was unable to avoid the collision. The horse reportedly climbed over the hood and damaged the windshield before landing on the road. As a result, officials had to disperse the animal and close the road.”
The road reopened early Tuesday morning.
Soldan reminded drivers to be careful when approaching off-road vehicles.
“If you see them, keep your distance as you pass, and by all means slow down and reduce your speed. Never assume a horse or horses will go in a straight line: most of them will, but obviously things will Scaring the horses, the sound, the noise, your vehicle is approaching… just keep an eye on it and be ready to slow down or slow down and stop to avoid a collision. I think this driver did his best but that’s just a situation, the horses are on their way The car was right in front of them, they couldn’t avoid it,” he said.