Three Injured in Carriage Crash

A horse-drawn carriage traveled east on Huron Street near Mission Hill, and after one of the horses was spooked, the pair began running, crashing through a chain-link fence Friday, August 3, and hitting a tree. The impact sent the female driver for Gough Livery carriages, Linda Price, and two passengers, Julius Krawciw and Anne Norton-Krawciw from Sterling Heights, off the carriage, said officer Andy Dziobak through a public report filed at the Mackinac Island Police Department. All three passengers were injured.

The horses could not make a sharp turn on Mission Hill, sending them down into an embankment approximately six feet after crashing, where they became entangled in the chainlink fence, according to the report.

The runaway began, the report said, on the East Bluff when one of the horses lifted his leg to kick at a fly on his belly and brought the leg down on the wrong side of the tree, which spooked it.

Mr. Krawciw was transported off the Island Friday, August 3, to St. Ignace. Although he suffered no broken bones, he received more than 30 staples to close an injury to his scalp. He blacked out after the incident, and remains bruised and banged up, he said. He is recovering in his Sterling Heights home, and has not yet been back to work as a pharmacist.

Mrs.Norton-Krawciw stayed on the Island, suffering broken bones in her feet and bruised her kneecap, but entered a hospital near their home Monday, August 13, said Mr. Krawciw.

Ms. Price was also transported off the Island for a broken femur in her leg and now is recovering on the Island.

The two horses involved have also been transported off the Island, said Dr. Alan Sibinic, the Island 's veterinarian. One was given stitches, but they are doing fine now, recuperating.

Officers Jim Meyers and Dziobak responded to the accident, and were joined soon after by Dr. Don Weersing.

All three injured victims were transported to the Mackinac Island Medical Center for treatment by Allied EMS. The fire department helped with EMS as well, the report states. The carriage was transported to the top of Mission Hill on Huron Street. The brakes were inspected by the police department as well, and were said to be in good condition.

Mr. Dziobak said that everyone seemed to work together, displaying a lot of teamwork to handle the situation as best as possible.