PAYETTE COUNTY -- Foggy conditions and horses on the highway made for some scary moments Thursday afternoon on Interstate 84.
A semi-truck and pickup were eastbound around 12:30 p.m. Thursday near the Payette-Canyon County line when the drivers spotted two horses coming at them on the freeway. The semi struck and killed one of the horses.
The other horse managed to get away but was rounded up by two citizens a short time later and taken to a local ranch. Authorities say they have located the horse's owner.
The semi was badly damaged in the accident and had to be towed from the scene.
The driver of a pickup told NewsChannel 7 that the semi driver was forced to make a tough decision - hit him or the horse. Joe Johnson credits that man with saving his life.
"He hit one of the horses and knocked it into my lane. I ended up with a mess on the side of my truck and the horse was busted into a lot of pieces. It was nasty," Johnson said.
"It was proably a good thing that a semi truck was what hit the horse, a lot of times a smaller car or pickups if they would have hit it the driver or occupants have a better chance of being injured," Cpl. Andy Creech of the Payette County Sheriff's Office said.
The semi driver was not cited and it's likely the horse owner's won't be either.
The Payette County Sheriff's Office says there is no loose horse ordinance in the county.
The driver of the semi truck is from Washington state and was headed to Salt Lake City.
