Driver dies after hitting horse Monday on Highway 417

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say one of the drivers involved in a series of collisions between vehicles and horses on Highway 417 in east Ottawa on Monday morning has died.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Monday, officers responded to reports of a collision on the highway’s westbound lanes between Anderson Road and Hunt Club Road in the Greenbelt, OPP said in news release on Monday.

One person was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, OPP said. The force later confirmed by email that “at least two” horses were killed in the incident.

On Tuesday, OPP said in a followup news release that a 73-year-old man from Ottawa died as a result of injuries he sustained in one of the crashes. His name was not released.

OPP believe another collision occurred at the same location Saturday morning. Police said a vehicle left the roadway and damaged a fence before leaving the scene.

An investigation into the crashes is ongoing. An OPP spokesperson said Tuesday that includes figuring out how exactly the horses ended up on the road.