Pony crashes into a couple's car near Lymington
Dramatic dash cam footage captured the moment a pony crashes into the side of a family car as it was driven across a national beauty spot.
The grey pony is only visible for a second as he runs across the path of the car, hitting the passenger side in an unavoidable accident.
Peter Jones, 72, and his wife Carol, 70, were driving along the B3054 near Lymington, in the New Forest, when the crash happened - causing £15,000 of damage to their rental Ford Kuga.
Peter Jones, 72, and his wife Carol, 70, were driving along the B3054 near Lymington, in the New Forest, when a pony dashed out in front of them
The couple were taking about how dark the road (pictured) was and how impossible it was to see the animals just moments before the accident
Dramatic dash cam footage captured the moment the grey pony crashed into the side of the family car as it was driven across a national beauty spot
Moments before the crash the could were talking about how you could not see where the animals were because it was so dark.
The pony ran into the car and caused the windscreen to 'explode' and a fragment of glass flew into Mrs Jones' eye.
A recent spate of pony deaths in the Forest has sparked complaints that motorists are driving too fast and should be made to cut their speed.
But Mr Jones was travelling at well below the 40mph limit when the animal crashed into the passenger side of his car without warning.
He said: 'I'd just slowed down because of the poor light but it made no difference, which just goes to show that accidents can happen regardless of speed.'
The pony is thought to have been running away from a dog when it smashed into the vehicle.
Mr Jones, a retired engineer from Lymington, said: 'A witness said the animal was going flat out when it came out of the gorse. The pony didn't deviate and just piled into us.
'The windscreen exploded – there's no other word to describe it – and my wife ended up with a flake of glass in her eye. It had to be removed in hospital but luckily didn't cause any permanent damage.
A witness said the animal was going flat out when it came out of the gorse and dashed into the road
The couple were 'gutted' when the forest pony died from its injuries by the road side. They released the video because they wanted other to see the 'dangers that exist in the Forest'
'Sadly the animal died from its injuries a few minutes later. I love the forest ponies and was absolutely gutted.'
His son, Mark Thurston-Jones, 45, a corporate image consultant, added: 'My reaction when I saw the dash cam footage for the first time was utter shock.
'I literally let out a yelp – and everyone else I've shown it to has done the same.
'Drivers need to see the video because it's an illustration of the dangers that exist in the Forest.
'Even when you're sticking to the speed limit accidents can still happen. My father didn't see the pony prior to the impact – the collision was totally unavoidable.
'The car is brand new, it's a mobility car as mum is disabled. The accident really knocked mum's confidence.
The accident caused £15,000 worth of damage to the couple's rented Ford Kuga. The windscreen exploded and Mrs Jones had to have a flake of glass removed from her eye in hospital
'My dad is quite a strong character but even he was shaken up a little by what happened.
'My sister called me to say what had happened. When I rang my parents they were distraught – it was a very traumatic incident.'
This week, commoners announced they are taking their ponies out of the New Forest because of the number of crashes claiming their animals' lives after four ponies were killed in eight days.
Campaigners have launched a petition for speed restrictions on the B3078 from Godshill to Cadnam through the New Forest.
The New Forest has a long history of commoning - a system where certain people, known as commoners, have the right to release animals onto the open forest.
Common rights were once widespread in Britain and Europe, but have been lost in many areas due to the enclosure of common land and the demise of former royal forests.