Decorah man killed when he tried to avoid hitting a horse on his motorcycle

A freak accident has claimed the life of a Decorah man.

The Minnesota State Patrol and the Fillmore County Sheriff's Department say 60-year-old Timothy Holt of Decorah was on Minnesota Highway 44 west of Mabel and just before the junction with Highway 52 around 11:30 Friday morning when he collided with a horse in the eastbound lane of the highway.

In a crash report, deputies said "A horse... which had been grazing in the south ditch broke free of its chain then entered the highway."  Holt tried to avoid hitting the horse, but couldn't.  The horse, which belonged to 42-year-old Levi Yoder of Mabel, also died in the accident.