Okay, let me tell you about this wild thing I saw, related to a horse and a car accident. It wasn’t something I planned, obviously, just something that happened right in front of me, and I sort of documented it as it went down.
The Setup
So, I was driving down this country road, you know the type, trees on both sides, not much traffic. It was late afternoon. I wasn’t in a hurry, just cruising along. Up ahead, maybe a quarter-mile, I spotted something unusual near the edge of the road. Took me a second to figure it out – it was a horse. Just standing there, looking kind of lost. No fence nearby that I could see, no rider.
What I Did First
My first thought was, ‘Okay, slow down.’ I eased off the gas and started tapping my brakes lightly, just to be safe and maybe signal anyone behind me, though there wasn’t anyone close. I got closer, keeping a good distance from the horse, which was now sort of nervously stepping onto the pavement a bit. I figured I’d just pass it slowly and carefully. I was keeping my eyes locked on it, trying to predict what it might do.
The Incident
Then, out of nowhere, this other car comes up from behind me. Way too fast. Like they didn’t see the horse, or maybe didn’t see me slowing down so much. They swerved to pass me just as the horse decided to spook and darted further into the road. It all happened incredibly fast. There was this awful sound – a thump and screeching tires. The car hit the horse. Not head-on, more like a glancing blow to the horse’s rear flank, but still, it was bad.
The Immediate Aftermath
The car spun a bit and ended up in the ditch on the opposite side. The horse stumbled, fell, and then scrambled back up, clearly injured and terrified, and galloped off into the woods. I immediately pulled over to the shoulder, well past the accident scene, put my hazards on, and grabbed my phone.
Here’s what I did, step-by-step:
- Checked on the driver of the other car first. I ran over, carefully crossing the road. They were shaken up, airbags deployed, but seemed conscious and mostly okay, just stunned.
- Called 911 right away. Told them what happened – car accident involving a horse, location, potential injuries to the driver, and that the horse ran off injured.
- Went back to my car briefly. I always keep a small notebook and pen in the glove box, just a habit. I started jotting down quick notes: time, location, description of the car, the horse, the sequence of events as I remembered them. Just basic facts. What I saw, what I heard.
- Tried to see where the horse went, but it was gone into the dense woods. Nothing I could do there, especially with it being injured and panicked.
- Waited for emergency services. Talked to the other driver again, tried to keep them calm. Gave my details to the police when they arrived, explained what I witnessed.
Wrapping Up The Record
The whole thing was chaotic and upsetting. Seeing an animal hurt like that, and the shock of the crash itself. Documenting it, even just rough notes in my little book, felt like the only practical thing I could do at that moment, besides calling for help. It helped me process it later, too, just having that sequence written down. You see stuff like that, and it really sticks with you. Reminds you how quickly things can go wrong on the road, especially out in the country where you might encounter unexpected things like a loose horse.
