Car collides with horse, shutting down rural road near Riverbank

A horse was seriously injured after it was hit by a car near Riverbank on Saturday night, but the driver of the car appeared to be OK, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The accident on Claribel Road at the Eleanore Avenue/McGee Avenue intersection closed traffic on the rural stretch of Claribel, east of Claus Road.

According to CHP Officer Samuel Mendoza, the car was traveling west on Claribel when it struck a horse that was walking east in the westbound lane. The car and the horse collided head-on, he said.

The solo male occupant of the car had minor injuries, however the horse suffered major injuries in the 9:20 p.m. accident, Mendoza said.

There was no more information Saturday night on why the horse was loose on the road or who owned the horse.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Car collides with horse, shutting down rural road near Riverbank."