A horseback rider was struck and severely injured by an SUV in Riverside, police said Saturday.
The accident was reported at about 9 p.m. Friday near Wells and Kent avenues, according to the Riverside Police Department. Responding officers found an unresponsive man lying in the roadway with major injuries at the scene, police said.
The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition while the horse he had been riding suffered minor injuries.
The 1999 GMC Yukon that struck the horse and rider was being driven by a 44-year-old Riverside woman, who was not injured in the crash and was cooperating with investigators, according to police.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the SUV had been traveling eastbound on Wells Avenue when the horse walked in front of the vehicle and was struck.