On Saturday evening, Tulsa Police officers responded to a crash involving a car, a horse, and its rider.
Around 6:55 p.m., officers went to reports of what appeared to be a two-car accident. When authorities arrived, they discovered a car had hit a horse and rider on the road.
According to Tulsa Police, the horse rider, 19-year-old José Sandoval Sanchez, was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Three occupants in the automobile were taken to the hospital in critical condition. A witness claimed the motorist ran a stop sign.
With riding horses so frequent in this booming region of east Tulsa, horse rider teacher Yamineth Hernandez believes something needs to be done to make it safer.
It’s still quite rustic. I understand it’s a combination of urban and rural areas,” Hernandez remarked.
Down the street from the accident, there are signs warning people to watch out for vehicles but not horses.
“Most people know. If you’re from around here, you’re aware that there are horses here. What I wish we had were horse signs, because if you’re from Tulsa or just passing through, anyone can tell you there are always horses on this road,” she added.
According to Hernandez, there could be up to 15 horseback riders on the road at any given moment.
The horse that died was named Venado. Venado’s owner informed FOX23 through Hernandez that his loss cannot be replaced and that he intends to seek charges.
“When a car collides with something ambulatory, whether it’s a human or an animal, the majority of the injuries are deadly. So my cops and I, together with fire and EMSA, rushed to the scene. Fire is only over the street, thankfully, so we may have been geographically monitored tonight,” said Lt. Paul Madden of The Mingo Valley Division.
While Lt. Madden declined to comment on how fast he thinks the automobile was driving because the incident is still being investigated, he did say that after studying the security video of the incident, he got the idea that the car was not traveling correctly on the road.
According to Tulsa Police, horseback riders must follow the same traffic rules as everyone else.
Reference: Tulsa Police: Several hospitalized following crash where car hit horse and rider
