Santa and helper may face drunken driving charges in Poland

USTRZYKACH DOLNYCH, Poland, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Police in Poland said a Santa and his helper could face drunken driving charges after they were thrown from their sleigh on a busy street.

Witnesses said the 51-year-old Santa and his 31-year-old female helper were both visibly drunk as they rode a horse-drawn sleigh down a busy road in Ustrzykach Dolnych and they were thrown from the vehicle when a car horn spooked their horse, the British newspaper the Mirror reported Monday.

"It reared up and sent them smashing into the wall on the corner of the street," said witness Zdzislaw Molodynski, who caught the incident on camera.

"It was a mixture of 'Ho, ho, ho' and 'No, no, no,'" he said.

Police said the two people, whose names were not released, were taken to a local hospital with concussions.

Police spokesman Dorota Glazowska said they could be facing charges.

"Technically, they were drunk while in charge of a vehicle on the road," the spokesman said. "We are looking at pressing charges."