Carriage operator wants driver who smashed into him to come forward
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Police said Wednesday they want to find the person who rammed into a horse and carriage in the downtown area over the weekend.
The carriage driver was knocked off the horse and rouged up enough to be sent to the hospital. He has been discharged.
That driver wants the person whose car struck the carriage off the road.
"I've got a big knot on my head," said Peter Sobotta, the driver with Milwaukee Coach and Carriage.
He showed his cuts and scrapes to TODAY'S TMJ4's Nick Montes.
The impact from the collision was so strong that Sobotta was thrown to the ground.
"I couldn't tell if I was upside down lying on my side. I felt myself hit something and then I was airborne again, and then I felt my head hit he pavement. My legs went numb."
Sobotta also has internal injuries.
"The leg hurts. I've got a bruised lung...kind of hard to breathe, move, cough, laugh."
The driver took off, leaving bystanders to help Sobotta. He blacked out, and he doesn't remember what the car looks like.
"They didn't want me moving my neck, and I don't remember, but they say I was asking for my horse."
That horse, Smokey, was spooked and bolted back to the stables just a couple blocks away. Smokey dragged a portion of the broken carriage.
"The only thing we have on the vehicle is that it's a light green or green vehicle," said Milwaukee Police Officer Stephen White.
The vehicle likely has front end damage on the driver's side.
"What we are now looking for from the Milwaukee Police Department is anybody with any type of tips on the vehicle, possibly the driver," said White.
"I just want them to come forward and pay the price for what they did," said Sobotta.
"I'm thankful I'm alive. I'm thankful my horse isn't hurt. But, now accept responsibility for what you did."
Sobotta faces more doctor's appointments, but he plans to return to work on his carriage on Saturday.
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