By Staff
NILES - A horse which had escaped from a fenced area died following injuries received after being hit by a vehicle on Saturday evening.
According to Michigan State Police Niles Post reports, the crash occured at 7:20 p.m. Saturday evening on Portgage Road, near Bertrand.
The driver of the vehicle, a four-door blue 2003 Ford, was identified by police as Michael S. Rafferty, 50, of South Bend, Ind.
The owner of the horse was Stephen Hicks of 3105 Portage Road, Niles.
Rafferty was northbound on Portage Road when his vehicle “impacted a horse which had gotten out of its pasture,” reports stated.
The horse died of its injuries and the driver was not injured.