Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004 | 10:50 a.m.
A horse apparently spooked by traffic darted in front of a car and was killed Tuesday night in northeastern Las Vegas Metro Police said.
The unusual incident also left the horse's rider, a 52-year-old man, with critical injuries, Sgt. Tracy McDonald said.
The horse was struck about 6 p.m. on Walnut Road, about 320 feet south of Judson Avenue, near Pecos Road and Carey Avenue.
Noe Renteria, 22, told police he was heading north in a 1994 Chevrolet Beretta when he noticed a person riding a horse in the dirt shoulder of the road. As Renteria got closer to the horse and rider, the horse started to jump around and it appeared the man riding it was having a difficult time controlling the animal, Renteria told police.
"The horse jumped in front of the car, and (the car) wasn't able to stop in time," McDonald said. The car hit the horse's legs, and the horse and its rider, Mike McCutcheon, went into the windshield.
The horse was killed instantly. McCutcheon was taken to University Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition this morning.
"It was an unfortunate set of circumstances for the horse and its rider," McDonald said. "It all happened so quickly."
Speed does not appear to be a factor in the collision, he said. The speed limit along that road is 25 mph.
Riding horses along the side of the road is legal in that area, which has horse zoning and is inhabited by residents with corrals in their yards, McDonald said.
McDonald said it is not uncommon for a vehicle to hit an animal, but police don't typically handle collisions involving a person using an animal as transportation.
"It is very rare for a rider to be on top of a horse" when it is hit, he said. "It's a very unusual accident for Las Vegas proper."
Renteria was not injured, but his 13-year-old passenger suffered minor injuries, police said.
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