VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – One person was fired and three people were sent to the hospital after a horse-drawn carriage was involved in a crash overnight in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach Police say they are investigating the crash that happened just after midnight Sunday in the 2100 block of Great Neck Road.
Police say that the horse-drawn carriage was traveling in the southbound lanes when it was hit from behind by a dark gray Toyota Camry traveling the same direction.
Allison Reynolds with Horse and Carriage in Smithfield says it was her carriage that was hit early this morning, and as a result of the incident, she fired the employee involved.
Reynolds says her employee was supposed to bring the carriage back by 9 p.m. after a birthday party for a 2-year-old earlier in the day.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found that three of the four occupants of the carriage were injured.
Two of the passengers of the carriage were suffering from injuries not considered life-threatening injuries. The third passenger, however, was suffering from life-threatening injuries. They were all transported to local hospitals for treatment.
The driver of the Toyota and the fourth passenger in the carriage had no injuries.
Reynolds says she does not know the three passengers involved.
She also says she received the news at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning about the crash. She says the employee texted her a message that said Romeo, the horse, was okay.
Romeo did sustain minor injuries and Reynolds says he is being treated by a veterinarian but doesn’t know if the 11-year-old horse will be able to work again.
Police are still investigating what led to the crash.
