SPRING LAKE — A 20-year-old Brooksville woman was seriously injured Wednesday morning when her sport utility vehicle collided with a roaming horse on Ayers Road, then struck a utility pole, authorities said.
Lauren Nicole Matthews was driving west near Culbreath Road about 6 a.m. when the horse walked into the path of her Isuzu Rodeo, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The Rodeo struck the horse, veered off the road, collided with a concrete culvert, launched into the air and struck the pole.
A short time later, a westbound 2008 Chrysler minivan driven by 56-year-old Margaret Ann Altman of Brooksville collided with the horse, killing the animal, troopers said.
Matthews was flown to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson; Altman had minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment.