Horse escapes Redmond-area pasture, fatally hit by SUV

(Update: How horse escaped undetermined)

A horse that escaped from its pasture was struck and seriously injured by an SUV west of Redmond late Monday night and was euthanized at the scene, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said. The driver sustained minor injuries in the crash.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the single-vehicle crash scene on Southwest Helmholtz Way shortly before midnight, Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp said.

They arrived to find an SUV with significant damage, driven by a 23-year-old Redmond woman. The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, had minor injuries and was examined at the scene by Redmond Fire Department paramedics.

The severely injured horse was alive when deputies and firefighters arrived. An emergency equine veterinarian was dispatched while deputies tried to calm the horse and find its owner. The owner was located, brought to the scene and made the decision to euthanize the animal, Vander Kamp said.

An investigation found that the dark-colored horse had escaped from a nearby pasture and was walking southbound on Helmholtz Way at Elkhorn Avenue when the collision occurred, the sergeant said. Sgt. William Bailey said deputies were unable to immediately determine how the horse escaped.

The woman was driving north on Helmholtz Way when she struck the horse, which rolled onto the hood of the SUV and struck the windshield.

The crash and investigation closed Helmholtz Way for about an hour.

Vander Kamp noted that the area is deemed a “closed range livestock district,” which means livestock may not run at large and the owner or manager must keep them on his or her own property.

The crash remains under investigation and no citations have been issued, Vander Kamp said.