A 32-year-old man will appear in court in June after being charged in relation to a truck accident near Dubbo on Saturday that claimed the life of his father.
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At about 10.40am, a truck carrying 17 horses was being driven north along Mogriguy Road when it left the road and rolled into a culvert near Brocklehurst.
A 64-year-old man, identified as prominent Young harness racing identity Ken Smith, died at the scene while a 16-year-old boy was airlifted to Westmead Hospital with head injuries.
The driver of the vehicle was taken to Dubbo Hospital with minor injuries.
Nine horses had to be euthanised on site while the remaining eight were treated by a veterinarian at a nearby location.
On Monday, yellow painted marks outlining the path of the vehicle were the only obvious signs of the accident.
It is believed the group were on their way to Tamworth at the time of the accident, and police have been told the horses ranged in value between $50,000 to $200,000 each.
Police from the Central West Crash Investigation Unit, assisted by officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District, initiated inquiries into the crash and, on Sunday, the driver was arrested at Dubbo Police Station.
He has been charged with five offences, including dangerous driving occasioning death, dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning death, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and cause bodily harm by misconduct, in charge of motor vehicle.
The man, from the south-western town of Young, was granted conditional bail to appear at Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday, June 13, and his driver’s licence was also suspended.