An early-morning collision between a motorist and four horses loose on Colorado Highway 86 killed three horses and closed the highway for nearly two hours on Feb. 19. The driver of the sedan was uninjured and her car was towed from the scene.
The accident occurred just before 5 a.m. near Cherokee Trail, about a quarter mile west of the Elizabeth Walmart. According to a witness, two of the animals were killed in the accident; a third was severely injured and later euthanized by a local veterinarian who was called to the scene.
The surviving horse was taken to the nearby barn of an Elbert County deputy and later returned to its owner.
The Elbert County Sheriff's Office was not available for comment but did post a notice of the accident and the highway's reopening on its Facebook page, which prompted multiple comments from individuals offering sympathy to the driver, the horses and the owners.