A Man Has Died After He 'Struck A Horse' North Of Toronto & Tons Of Them Somehow Got Loose
There were 20 to 30 horses in the middle of the road.
A York Regional Police cruiser.
York Regional Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal crash early Friday morning that happened moments after reports several horses had wound up loose on a roadway.
Police told Narcity the single-vehicle crash on Davis Drive in Newmarket claimed the life of a 60-year-old man.
"He struck a horse," a police spokesperson said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene after striking the horse and hitting a culvert, which police said caused him to be ejected from the vehicle.
This crash happened right around the same time police had tweeted out a warning that between 20 and 30 horses had gotten loose on the roadway, on Davis Drive east of Bathurst Street.
\u201cROAD HAZARD: Eastbound Davis Dr East of Bathurst - 20-30 horses on the roadway. Please avoid Davis Dr #NEWMARKET\u201d— York Regional Police (@York Regional Police) 1668153004
How these horses found their way onto the road or where they came from remains a mystery.
"We haven't verified where they were coming from," the officer said. "That will be up to our major collision investigations unit. Obviously, we want to find out — how did they escape?"
Police said one horse was found deceased at the scene. The remaining horses were collected and returned to the nearby farm they'd gotten loose from.
Police closed Davis Drive between Keel Street and Dufferin Street for much of the day Friday.
Any witnesses of the crash or anyone with dashcam footage is being asked to come forward.
York Regional Police is asking anyone with information to contact the Major Collision Investigation Unit by calling 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7704, or to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS, or leave ananonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
*This story has been updated.