A horse was seriously hurt after a suspected drunken driver rammed into a trailer on the 10 Freeway in the Cabazon area early Saturday, officials said.
The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on the eastbound side of the highway near the Main Street exit, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
A woman believed to be under the influence of alcohol was driving around 80 to 90 mph when she allegedly slammed into the back of a trailer carrying two horses.
The impact hurled one of the animals, an Appaloosa named Oliver, forward then backward before he slipped out of his halter and out of the mangled door, officials said.
“For a few minutes, the horse was running loose on I-10, but the transport driver was able to wrangle it,” Animal Services Sgt. Lesley Huennekens said.
The driver of the trailer, who was transporting the animals from Winchester in Riverside County to Texas, was not seriously hurt, according to Animal Services.
He apparently made a tourniquet out of a belt and some sort of plastic peg to stop Oliver’s right hind leg from bleeding.
An emergency equine veterinarian then took the horse to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. California Highway Patrol also responded to the scene.
“It’s sheer luck that this horse survived,” Huennekens said.
The other horse did not appear to have any serious injuries, according to Animal Services.
The DUI suspect was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, the agency said.
Animal Services said it was not clear whether she has been arrested or booked on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Department officials were optimistic about Oliver’s survival.
“We will have a better idea of that on Sunday or Monday,” a statement from the agency said.