Just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a report of five horses walking in traffic lanes of U.S. Highway 51 near County Road A. A Lincoln County deputy was able to locate the animals, which included four full-size horses and one miniature horse, walking in the southbound lanes of Hwy. 51.
As the deputy was attempting to contain the animals, other deputies and an officer from the Tomahawk Police Department were scrambling to assist with traffic control in the area. Before the other deputies and officer could get there, the horses crossed over the median strip into the northbound lanes where one of them was struck by a northbound motorist.
The driver of the vehicle was not injured in the crash, but the horse that was struck needed to be euthanized.
Both the northbound and southbound lanes of Hwy. 51 were closed for a short time while the rest of the animals were corralled and led back to the farm where they had escaped their enclosure.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office handled the crash investigation.