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A horse died and a driver was left in shock after the animal was reportedly spooked by��fireworks��and galloped into the path of a car in Thames on Guy Fawkes night.��

Graphic video shared online showed the horse running down the road, onlookers at first expressing surprise and amusement at seeing the horse on Rolleston St late on Sunday.��

But that quickly turns to panic as the approaching car is spotted.��

“Stop the car!” a voice exclaims and bystanders attempt to flag the motorist down before a sickening impact is heard.��

Driver Tony Carter-Gerraty told the��Herald��he saw the people just a moment before the impact and had no time to react.��

“All of a sudden there was something jumping through my window and the window hit my face,” he said.��

He said the horse’s owner was chasing behind the animal on foot when it collided with his car.��

Carter-Gerraty said he believed the animal died instantly and he was “lucky to be alive”.��

He walked away with only minor injuries, photos of the damage to his Mazda Familia showing how close he came to death.��

The driver of the Mazda says he feels "lucky to be alive". Photo / Tony Carter-Gerraty��

The front window was caved in on the driver’s side and the impact left a large dent on the roof.��

He said the window hit him in the face and he was left with a sore chest from his seatbelt but was otherwise uninjured.��

He questioned how the horse got out and said he had been advised that the owner would be liable for the damage to the car, which was now undriveable.��

Carter-Gerraty said he felt for the owners of the horse but had been left without transport to work and now needed to buy a replacement vehicle.��

Tony Carter-Gerraty says he had no time to react before the horse hit his car (pictured). Photo / Tony Carter-Gerraty��

Police and Fire and Emergency NZ confirmed that they attended the incident and a spokesperson for police advised that anyone using fireworks should do so safely, remaining aware of their surroundings and should consult their neighbours prior to using them.��

The horse was not the only animal that reportedly died as a result of fireworks this year and animal lovers shared their anger online.��

The Ban the Boom NZ page saw outraged animal lovers petitioning politicians to ban the sale of fireworks.��

“You guys can make this happen - ban the sale of fireworks,” one woman wrote. “People are being injured, animals are dying. It’s about time NZ stopped this madness, or shall we wait until a child dies before you step up and do something?”��

Guy Fawkes celebrations this year also saw Auckland families ducking for cover after a��fireworks mishap at the Waikaraka Park speedway.��

Video captured the rogue fireworks landing in the crowd, prompting shrieks and shouting among families in the sold-out stands.��

Promoter Bruce Robertson said a speedway official at the event had told him that a piece of one of the fireworks had landed in the crowd.��