Sleepy driver, horse statue tangle in downtown Sisters

A Missouri man who fell asleep at the wheel early Friday had a damaging encounter with a horse of the bronze variety — a statue in downtown Sisters, authorities said. But while his pickup was damaged, neither he nor the immovable steed sustained injuries.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 5:20 a.m. to the reported crash near East Cascade Avenue and South Larch Street, said sheriff’s Lt. Ty Rupert.

The driver, Skyler Doss, 18, of Clinton, Missouri, was alone in the white 2005 Ford Ranger, Rupert said.

He told deputies he fell asleep and crashed head-on into the horse statue, causing both airbags to deploy in the pickup.

“The investigation determined Doss was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and the initial report of him falling asleep was accurate,” Rupert wrote in a news release.

The vehicle was towed from the scene, the lieutenant said. Black Butte Ranch police assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene.