Equestrian, 61, died in ‘freak accident’
New details were released Monday in the death of a 61-year-old horseback rider who was killed when he slammed into a tree in Lake View Terrace.
Buddy Dean Lilly was riding with friends Sunday at Gabrieleno Equestrian Park, near Foothill Boulevard and Orcas Street, when his horse spooked for an unknown reason, said Sgt. Scott Kennedy of the Los Angeles Police Department. As Lilly tried to regain control of the animal, he slid off his saddle and was hanging from the side of the horse, Kennedy said.
As the horse bolted through the wooded area, Lilly’s head and upper body struck a tree, and he died instantly, Kennedy said. Coroner’s officials said Lilly suffered fatal head and chest injuries.
“It was a freak accident, and no one knows why the horse spooked,” Kennedy said. Lilly “was an experienced horseback rider. It’s really a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
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nathan.olivarezgiles@latimes.com
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