Driver Charged in Accident that Killed Horse, Injured Girls

The driver involved in a September accident that injured two girls and killed a horse has been cited for speeding and failure to keep right on a curve. The fines associated with those infractions total between $342 and $514, according to state law.

According to the accident report completed by state police, a “contributing factor” to the accident was a “lack of any reflective gear and illumination that were required of the drivers.”

The accident took place at 9:55 p.m. on Sept. 16 when Claude Errera, 45, of 56 Deerfield Lane, Bethany, crossed the center line on a Fairwood Road and struck a horse ridden by a 15-year-old Bethany girl.

Police did not release the name of the rider because of her age. She was riding with two other teenage girls at the time of the accident. She suffered a concussion and two broken fingers and was treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital, police said. Another suffered a sprained ankle.

The horse, which was named Honey, was struck head-on and died at the scene from internal injuries, according to police. They later determined that Errera was not on his phone or under the influence of alcohol.

Errera told police that the girls were riding three abreast, while the girl of the horse that died said they were riding single file. A diagram release by the police showed the riders were slightly staggered. Not quite single file, nor three across.

Fred Musante contributed to this report.