A police horse was seriously injured and an elderly driver was hospitalised during a crash in the Bristol area today (July 8). Bristol Live previously reported that a horse was hurt in a collision on Beggars Bush Lane near Ashton Court Estate just before 2.30pm.
And it has now been confirmed that the horse was a police animal being ridden by a mounted officer. The horse has serious injuries and is being treated at a specialist equine hospital, but the rider is not believed to have life-threatening or life-changing injuries, according to Avon and Somerset Police..
The crash also involved the driver of a blue Ford Focus. The motorist, a man in his 70s, has now gone to hospital for assessment and is also not believed to have life-threatening or life-changing injuries.
Read more: Van flips over in Bristol city centre crash
Beggar Bush Lane, which runs between Abbots Leigh Road and Clevedon Road, was closed while the vehicle was recovered but it has now been reopened. A spokesperson for the police force said that the horse which was injured doesn’t yet have an official name, but his stable name is Rocky.
They said: "He’s a five-year-old chestnut Irish Draft cross and was on patrol with his stable-mate Platinum. Thankfully neither Platinum nor his rider were hurt."
Police are asking for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. "If you can help, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5222162409, or complete our online appeals form," the spokesperson said.
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