A scenic excursion took a tragic turn when a sudden loss of control sent one carriage into a roadside tree.
A sightseeing horse-drawn carriage overturned in the canton of Graubünden in southeastern Switzerland. A 73-year-old woman was killed in the accident, and another 12 passengers were injured.
The accident occurred on Saturday, August 15, as a group of 40 tourists was finishing a trip through the Upper Engadin valley and returning to the village of Pontresina. The tour participants were traveling in two horse-drawn carriages, Graubünden cantonal police reported.
How the horse-drawn carriage accident happened
On a winding road, the driver of one of the carriages noticed that the vehicles were rapidly picking up speed. He tried to steer the team onto a flatter section of the road to slow them down.
During the maneuver, one of the horses fell. The carriage then lost its balance, veered onto the roadside, and collided with a tree. Several passengers were thrown from their seats onto the roadway by the impact.
The victim and the injured
The 73-year-old woman suffered critical injuries and died at the scene. Medics treated the other injured passengers before taking them to nearby hospitals.
Three helicopters and four ambulances were deployed to transport the injured.
Graubünden cantonal police said that all 40 participants in the trip live in Switzerland. The prosecutor’s office and police are investigating the circumstances of the horse-drawn carriage accident in the canton of Graubünden.