No charges laid after collision involving horses in Greater Napanee

An early morning collision in Greater Napanee has resulted in a tragic outcome that no one involved would have chosen, according to information from police.

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at approximately 5 a.m., officers with the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were dispatched to a single vehicle collision right at the southern edge of Greater Napanee, bordering Tyendinaga.

The collision occurred on Deseronto Road, just south of Meach Road, and involved an SUV and horses, which had become free of their enclosure and wandered into the roadway. The SUV, travelling southbound on Deseronto Road, struck three of the large animals, the OPP relayed in response to Kingstonist inquiries.

“The SUV sustained major damage and the lone driver of the vehicle was uninjured,” said Constable David Yome, Media Relations Officer for the L&A OPP.

“All three horses died from the collision. There were no charges laid against the driver or the horse owner.”

As a result of the collision, Deseronto Road was closed for a short time in the area indicated on the map below, as police carried out their investigation.

According to a 2022 report from the Ottawa Safety Council and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, there are approximately 22,000 collisions with animals per year across the province, resulting in approximately 400 human injuries. Of those collisions with animals that involve fatalities, 50 per cent happen on rural roads with higher speed limits, the report states, and the most common time for collisions involving wildlife, farm animals, or domesticated animals are one hour before dawn or after dusk, on two-lane highways with speed limits of 80 km/h or more.