Dear friends:
Here is a brief summary of our encounter with the horse on Oct. 22, 2001.
We are just fine, but it is sobering to think how easily the outcome could have
been very different. 

Place and time: Northbound lanes of the Coast Road, between Caesarea
and Zichron Yaacov, in the early hours of October 22.

The main conclusions: 

Even an innocent horse, presumably with no bad intentions towards
anyone, can easily kill any of us (and maybe also itself). (I have
meanwhile been told of several serious accidents, some fatal, involving
animals, including one involving a camel at approximately the same place
as ours.)  All these cases constitute a strong case for some changes in
laws and/or their enforcement, regarding large animals and their owners'
responsibility to prevent them from injuring or killing people.

Better lighting on this portion of the coastal road, i.e. between
Caesarea and Zikhron Yaacov (and no doubt in many other places) could
also clearly save lives.

What happened:

Suddenly in the dark I saw the (hind) legs of a strange person or
animal, wandering on the road in front of me, slightly to our left. I
had a few short moments to steer towards the right, to avoid colliding
with whatever it was. But the space between the creature and the right
boundary of the road was not very wide. Our car hit the safety fence.
(The shock of the collision was transmitted from the wheels via the
steering column to my hands. Some hours later I would discover that the
moderate pain and stiffness which I was feeling in my hands, were due to
fractures. Both hands are now in casts and I am typing this with one
finger.)
Then the car was "reflected" back into the road, performed a U-turn and
was stopped by the concrete barrier running along the centre of the
road, pointing almost backwards.

There could have been cars, trucks, coming at high speed exactly behind
us at that moment (we saw plenty of them later as we waited for the tow
truck), but fortunately none came just then. There was one kind driver,
an Arab, who arrived soon after, who stopped and anxiously came to check
if we were ok. Dory reminds me that then someone parked a large truck
with flashing lights behind us - a wise act to avoid further mishaps. In
fact I had also at least had the presence of mind to switch on our own
car's flashing emergency lights. Soon a patrol car with a friendly
policeman and policewoman came. Surprisingly the policeman was able to
actually drive our car, and place it back on the right edge of the road.
I wondered where was the horse. The policewomen told us it had simply
wandered off the road back to the fields.

While we waited for the tow truck we heard the sounds of a horse neighing
smewhere, presumably "our" horse. What are his next plans?

We had our car towed to Haifa and then visited the emergency room.
Thankfully, as far as we know, we are both ok, apart from those fractures.
Of course at such a time I am, we are, even more aware than usual of my
wonderful and beloved brother, taken from us all in a road accident in
California on March 22, 1991.
With all the pain of that, and with whatever other apprehensions and sobering
thoughts we might have, clearly life goes on!  We will have to get another
car.  This one was declared a "total loss".

I hope this satisfies any curiosity you might have had.
Please be well, please drive carefully!