Merced County Crash Kills Horse, Seriously Injures Rider

A 50-year-old man suffered major injuries after a Nissan van struck him while he was riding a horse across Santa Fe Drive in Merced County before dawn Monday. The rider was thrown from the horse and flown to a Modesto hospital; the van driver was also injured. Investigators said darkness and a lack of roadway lighting prevented the driver from seeing the horse and rider, and the horse died from its injuries. A witness at the scene described stopping to call 911 and warning other drivers about the injured man in the roadway.