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A harness racing driver has died after a multi-horse collision at a race track in Osoyoos, B.C.
Desert Park Raceway said in a news release that 52-year-old Scott Knight died following the crash on Sunday.
The raceway said the incident happened when a different horse than the one Knight was driving “broke stride, lost his step and went down on the track.”
“The trailing drivers and horses were unable to avoid the downed horse, leading to a multi-horse collision,” reads the release.
One driver was taken to hospital for medical treatment, and another was treated on site for minor injuries, according to the release.
The three horses involved in the crash survived.
Harness racing driver Scott Knight is seen in an undated photo. (Jocelyn Giesbrecht/GoFundMe)
Randy Rutledge, a friend of Knight’s, was in the same race on Sunday, but his horse was in front. He said he didn’t realize a horse had gone down until the race was over.
Rutledge remembered Knight as a good guy who was much loved in the community.
“He shod horses, he trained, he did it all. And he was very close with everybody,” Rutledge said.
“The whole community’s going to be shocked, because we’re all kind of a tight-knit family.”
Kelly MacMillan, president of the Western Canada Horse Racing Association and operator of Desert Park Raceway, said the organization is at a loss for words.
“Scott was part of our family and I can’t begin to describe how we are feeling,” MacMillan said in the raceway’s news release.
“We are all reeling in grief. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott’s family and everyone involved.”
Desert Park Raceway cancelled the rest of the day’s racing program and has arranged for counselling services for those in the community, according to the release.
