SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police rounded up several horses that escaped from a ranch in Southwest Miami-Dade, but one of them had to be put down after it was struck by a pickup truck.
The truck’s driver, Joseph Purvis, said he just couldn’t avoid the horses in the area of Southwest 117th Avenue, near 66th Street, Saturday night.
“I did my best to stop,” said Purvis.
7News cameras captured a Miami-Dade Police officer tending to the severely injured horse.
“I was just driving down 117th Avenue, and all of a sudden I saw a bunch of horses,” said Purvis. “I slammed on my brakes, and apparently one didn’t make it. I hit it, and I feel horrible.”
Officers walked some of the horses back to an area a few blocks away from the scene of the crash.
Purvis was not hurt. He said he’s now thinking about having his truck repaired.
“I don’t know how I’m going to go about fixing it, but we’ll see what happens,” he said.
The horses’ owners, the First Baptist Church of Westwood Lake, issued a statement Sunday evening confirming the animals escaped from Circle C Youth Ranch and that the injured horse was euthanized. It reads in part, “We are saddened by the incident this morning and the loss of one of our horses. We love our animals and they are a special part of our ministry. Circle C Youth Ranch has been ministering boys and girls in our community for over 50 years, this is the first time that we experience a loss like this. We are thankful that no persons were hurt in this incident.”
The rest of the escaped horses were brought back to their pasture safely.
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