One animal was killed on the spot and another had to be euthanized a little later, while two riders had to be hospitalized. The driver was intoxicated and not equipped any safety equipments, according to the first elements of the investigation.
The car “tumbled at full speed,” according to a witness. A rare road accident caused the death of two horses near Toulouse and injured two riders, reports this Friday “La Dépêche du Midi.”
The scene occurred Thursday, June 22. A procession of six riders, accompanied by a van, takes the side of a section of the departmental road near Mont, shortly before 23h. “They were driving to the left of the road to face any cars, as would pedestrians,” said the mayor of the village.
According to a witness, the group was “lit by the white truck of the owner, lights and warnings on to signal them well,” each rider wearing a yellow reflective vest and a bomb on the head. The road is also straight and illuminated at this place, the newspaper says.
“One of the horses literally flew in the air”
A car would have emerged and overturned the first two horses in the group. “One of the horses literally flew in the air, as well as his rider, to mow another before going to stop on the side,” says a woman who attended the scene.
One animal was killed on the spot and the other one had to be euthanized two hours later by a veterinarian who was there. Two riders were also hospitalized: a woman who left the hospital one week later for kidney pain and four broken ribs and a man for major wounds, which required the installation of six stitches.
According to the “Dispatch,” it appears that the driver of the car, a 34-year-old man, without wearing safety vest, was driving while intoxicated. An investigation is opened to know the exact circumstances of the accident.