A 41-year-old Grand Junction man suffered life-threatening injuries early Sunday when his Toyota Land Cruiser struck a horse on Interstate 70 near Fruita, Colorado. The crash occurred around 1:37 a.m. in the eastbound lanes at mile marker 22, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The victim, identified through GoFundMe as Kyle Freud, was the first vehicle to hit the animal.

Troopers reported that multiple vehicles struck the horse after it entered the roadway. Freud's Land Cruiser rolled and came to rest on its roof, trapping him inside. He was transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. A second vehicle, a Ford F-250 driven by a 17-year-old male from Peyton, also struck the horse but the driver was not injured. The horse died at the scene.

Eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for several hours while CDOT crews worked to clear the roadway. The highway reopened shortly before 5 a.m. Officials urge drivers to use caution on rural highways, especially during overnight hours when animals are more active. State patrol officials have not confirmed where the horse came from, and the crash remains under investigation.