Groveland Twp.-At about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, township resident Mary Drouillard was awoken by her neighbor that a motorist traveling south on M-15 was involved in an accident with her two horses.
Injured in the late night accident was ‘Tara,? a 12 year-old mare and a 20 year-old gelding ‘Olli.? Drouillard was boarding both horses on her eight acre farm for her granddaughters Tiffany and Rachel Collins. She was unsure how the animals escaped from the fenced-in area behind her small farm about a mile south of the Genesee-Oakland countyline.
‘When I ran out there my neighbors were holding onto the horses in the road. Traffic was really backed up,? said Drouillard, a township resident for more than 30 years. ‘I’ve had horses here for many years and M-15 is just so busy animals just don’t have a chance out there.?
The motorist told Drouillard that one of the horses struck her vehicle while she collided with a second horse that wondered onto M-15. Both animals were in serious condition following the accident.
Tara’s leg was broken and she was euthanized by Oakland County Sheriff Deputies from the Brandon Substation to relieve the animal from additional suffering, according to reports from the Michigan State Police who were also at the scene. The second horse, Olli, was led back to Drouillard’s farm with massive chest injuries. A local veterinarian arrived soon after the accident and performed three and one-half hours of surgery on Olli which included several hundred stitches. The prognosis for the animal was unknown.
‘It’s just unbelievable Olli’s leg was not broken,? said Drouillard. ‘I’m thankful no one was injured in the accident.?