Oregon man, 87, drowns when horse throws him into river

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – An 87-year-old man drowned after he was thrown from a horse while crossing the Illinois River in southwest Oregon.

Josephine County Search and Rescue coordinator Cory Krauss told the Grants Pass Daily Courier that Jack Sauer was crossing the river to go hunting Sunday when the horse got spooked and tossed him.

A hunting companion grabbed some of Sauer’s clothing, but couldn’t hang on. She watched him get swept downstream and go under.

Sauer’s body was found about 200 yards downstream, caught under some vegetation. Sauer’s horse safely left the river.

The Daily Courier reported Sauer lived near Kerby on the edge of Sauers Flat, which was named for his ancestors. Sauer was known for farming, ranching and a motocross track he built in the 1990s.