Horse killed, teenage rider seriously injured in distracted driving crash near Turlock
Story Update » Animal-loving Turlock teen dies from injuries suffered when a truck hit her, her horse
• • •
A horse was killed and its 19-year-old rider seriously injured when they were hit by a pickup south of Turlock Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The collision happened just after 9 a.m. in the 2300 block of Harding Road, just west of Highway 99 and north of the Merced County line, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Olsen.
He said the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado, 27-year-old Isaac Leal of Delhi, was traveling north on Youngstown Road, rounding the bend where it turns into Harding and goes east. The horse and rider, who has not been identified, were on the right side of the road traveling east on Harding.
Leal told investigators he’d reached down to get a bottle of water and didn’t see the horse and rider until he looked up at the last minute, Olsen said.
As he turned the Chevrolet to the left it rotated and the right side of it collided with the horse.
The horse died at the scene and the rider, who’d been thrown onto the roadway, was taken to Doctors Medical Center with major injuries.
Olsen said the woman, a Turlock resident, is in serious condition. People in the area of the crash said she rides her horse there regularly.
“The CHP would like to remind all motorists that at 50 mph, your vehicle is capable of traveling half a football field in just a matter of two seconds,” Olsen said. “Keep your hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road and your mind focused.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 11:22 AM.
