A WOMAN has died and three people were taken to hospital after a crash while horses ran loose on a major road.
Police were called to the crash between a car and a van on the A737 at Howwood, Renfrewshire, at about 3.10am on Monday.
At about the same time, the force received calls reporting six horses running loose on the road.
Police and ambulance attended and the 59-year-old woman who was a passenger in the Mercedes A-Class car was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 52-year-old man driving the car was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow while a 33-year-old man who was also a passenger was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
The man driving the MAN Box van, 59, was also taken to the Paisley hospital where both men were assessed.
Four of the horses died after being struck by vehicles and two were taken to safety.
The road closed for an investigation and reopened at 2pm.
Sergeant Jack Swindells, of Police Scotland, said: “We are providing support to the family of the woman who died as our inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this crash.
“We would appeal to anyone who was driving on the A737 on Monday morning around the time of the crash who either witnessed the crash take place or saw the horses running on the road.
“Anyone with dashcam footage is also asked to please contact us as soon as possible.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0291 of September 23.”
