In the early hours of September 22, 2024, a tragic accident unfolded on I-15 North near the Limonite Avenue exit in Norco. At approximately 1:57 a.m., California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Cal Fire, Riverside County, responded to reports of a loose horse running in the freeway lanes after escaping from a horse trailer.
Witnesses reported a man attempting to catch the horse when a vehicle struck the animal, tragically killing it. The driver of the car that hit the horse was transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries. However, the car’s passenger was pronounced dead at the scene by firefighter paramedics.
CHP is currently searching for the driver of the horse trailer, who fled the scene. The driver’s wife remained in the truck, and their son arrived shortly after the incident, though the driver remains missing. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the horse’s escape and the horse trailer’s condition, which was found in two separate pieces on the freeway, with part of it still attached to the truck.
The entire freeway was shut down as of 3:51 a.m. Investigators are also determining whether drugs or alcohol were factors, though the situation remains suspicious due to the driver’s flight.
Authorities continue to investigate the full scope of this tragic event.