Horse killed, rider hurt in crash with truck

A horse and its rider were struck by a pickup north of Deer Park on Thursday evening, the Spokane Sheriff’s Office reported.

The 17-year-old quarterhorse was killed and the rider, Zeb Blue Bunke, 23, suffered an ankle injury, said sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan.

Bunke was riding on Dalton Road near Enoch Road with another man on horseback, Reagan said. The other rider was on the shoulder, and Bunke was in the road.

Robert H. Pruitt, 76, was southbound on Dalton when his pickup hit the horse about 6:30 p.m. He told deputies that he slowed down and moved to the center of the road because he saw the rider on the shoulder, but he didn’t see Bunke.

Pruitt and his wife, who was traveling with him, were not injured. The collision totaled the pickup.

The Sheriff’s Office said Pruitt was not at fault. He was not cited.