SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- A former Quaker Springs fire chief has died after a being struck by a jumping horse.

On Wednesday night, James Bodnar of Schuylerville was driving on Casey Road when he came across two horses who had escaped from their pen. According to Quaker Springs Fire Chief Don Ormsby, Bodnar knew the owner of the animals and stopped to try to help get them back into their enclosure.

In the process, they say one of the horses charged Bodnar and jumped over him, striking him in the chest and head. They say Bodnar went into cardiac arrest while emergency crews attempted to have him airlifted. He was then driven to Saratoga Hospital where he died of internal injuries.