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Horse-drawn carriage collides with two cars in Wisconsin

Posted at 4:19 PM, Dec 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-10 09:11:00-05

A runaway, horse-drawn carriage with eight people on board crashed into a pair of vehicles in Oconomowoc. 

It happened on Saturday morning just after 11:00 a.m. at Main St. and Wisconsin Ave. 

According to police, the carriage was downtown for a private event, and not any type of city function. 

Eventually, the two horses and the carriage full of people they were hauling collided with two vehicles at Main St. and Wisconsin Ave. 

Jim Sanborn and his wife watched the crash unfold. 

"We turned the corner onto Main Street and here comes this wagon, with no driver, swerving back and forth like an old West show," Sanborn said. 

Photo courtesy Kate Sanborn

Police believe the operator of the carriage was making an adjustment to a horse's harness when it became frightened and the two animals ran off. 

While at the scene, Sanborn and others worked to calm the horses down and remove people from the carriage. 

"The first thing I did was help some people off the wagon with little kids," Sanborn said. "They were just completely freaked out." 

Firefighters from the Western Lakes Fire Department assessed 15 people for injuries: one horse handler, eight people who were on board the carriage, and six people riding in the two vehicles hit. 

All are expected to be OK. 

"That's a miracle," Sanborn said. "That's the best news we could've gotten." 

Police said the horses suffered some cuts but are expected to be fine also.