Two horses are expected to be sidelined from future competitions after a vehicle collided with its float on State Highway 6 this afternoon.
Police says it responded to a two-vehicle collision at the Tāhunanui Dr and Rui St intersections at 4:12pm, and that one vehicle had a horse float attached.
Sindy Kirkwood, who had been a passenger of the vehicle towing the float, says she and her father, who was the driver, had been riding at Eves Valley over the weekend and were driving back to Blenheim when a vehicle allegedly crossed the centreline.
She says her father swerved to avoid the oncoming vehicle, but it collided with their float, which was carrying two horses.
“I didn’t know what to think until we got out and saw what the damage was, it was scary,” she says.
“It took an hour to get one of [the horses] that was stuck out of the float.”
Sindy says while one of the horses suffered a cut artery, neither had life-threatening injuries.
“[It’s] pretty awful, but I’m glad that the horses are out and safe… they might just be out from a few competitions for a while,” she says.
“The float is probably a write off.”
When Nelson App attended the scene, vets were treating the horses on the front lawn of a nearby house and a vehicle was on a tow truck.
Hato Hone St John says ambulance officers treated one person, in a moderate condition, at the scene.
Waka Kotahi says the road was closed between the Rui and Muritai St intersections from 4:35pm, but had since reopened, and warned motorists to expect delays as congestion eases in the area.
