8-year-old girl hospitalized, horse dies in Cornwall hit-and-run

14 January 2025 , 08:26

417     0

8-year-old girl hospitalized, horse dies in Cornwall hit-and-run

The girl suffered severe injuries after a white Ford Transit van allegedly hit a horse near Launceston, Cornwall, an incident Devon and Cornwall Police continue to investigate.

An eight-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital - and the horse she was riding had to be put down - after a hit-and-run horror on Sunday.

It is alleged a white Ford Transit van struck the animal on a country lane in Higher Treween, which is near Launceston, Cornwall, at around 2.20pm.

Police continue to investigate the crash, after which the horse sadly had to be put down by vets at the scene. A 12-year-old who was leading the horse was uninjured.

The eight-year-old, though, was airlifted to hospital. The nature of her injuries have not been disclosed to the press at this stage, but Devon and Cornwall Police are appealing for information or dashcam footage of the incident.

However, a 61-year-old man from Launceston has been arrested on suspicion of failing to stop after a road traffic collision, failing to report a road traffic collision, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified. The man remains in police custody.

Higher Treween is a hamlet west of Launceston. It is just inside Bodmin Moor, the vast granite moorland known for its Bronze Age cairns, medieval bridges and grazing ponies. Roads across the moorlands are narrow and often single-track drives.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the incident has been asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police via their website or by calling 101 quoting log 410 of 12/1/2025.

Sophia Martinez