Deputy suffers minor injuries after his patrol vehicle struck and killed a horse on Beltway 8

HOUSTON – Three left lanes of Beltway 8 at Cullen have reopened after a deputy’s patrol car fatally struck a horse that was in the roadway early Sunday morning.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene around 5 a.m. and found the horse laying on the westbound lanes of the Beltway.

Several lanes were closed Sunday morning as the scene was investigated, then cleared.

The deputy was transported to Memorial Hermann hospital in Pearland with minor facial injuries. According to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the deputy is doing fine after the accident.

It is unclear at this time how the horse ended up on the Beltway, but law enforcement says there is livestock kept in the area.