A New Wilmington man has been charged with drunken driving after his horse-drawn buggy and a car collided Sunday in Wilmington Township, injuring the motorist and killing the horse.
Police said Wednesday that Joseph W. Byler, 19, pulled his eastbound buggy from a stop on state Route 468 at about 5:40 p.m. onto state Route 18. Byler failed to yield to a northbound car driven by Charles R. Taylor Jr., 55, New Wilmington, police said.
Taylor’s car hit the horse, flipping the animal over the vehicle and onto the side of the road. The horse died at the scene, police said.
Taylor was taken to the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System with minor injuries, police said. A hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday Taylor wasn’t listed as a patient.
Byler was charged with drunken driving, drunken driving as a minor, underage drinking and a traffic violation. His blood alcohol content was 0.15 percent, nearly twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania, police said.
His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Feb. 2 with District Judge Lorinda L. Hinch, Mercer.
New Wilmington police and firefighters assisted.
