SEARSPORT, Maine — A mule died Sunday afternoon after getting spooked and running into U.S. Route 1, where the animal was hit by a Dodge Ram pickup truck.
The accident occurred about 12:20 p.m. Sunday in the vicinity of the Captain A.V. Nickels Inn, according to Searsport Police Chief Dick LaHaye.
“The mule was being led around the yard at a nearby house,” he said. “[Police] were told the mule got spooked, got pulled away from the young person who was leading it. It ran into the road and was struck by the truck.”
The truck was driven by Ryan Whitcomb, 32, of Searsport. Neither Whitcomb nor the child who was leading the mule were injured, but the 2011 Dodge Ram had about $5,000 worth of front-end damage, LaHaye said.
A veterinarian who was called to the accident determined that the mule had a broken leg.
“Ultimately, the animal was put down. Euthanized,” LaHaye said.
Searsport police were assisted by members of the Searsport Fire Department.