Personal Injury Law

Four Cows Killed in Train and Pickup Truck Accidents in Dense Fog

By Jeff Lowe, Esq.

Loose cattle and dense fog caused one Missouri car accident and one train accident outside Springfield, Missouri April 11. According to the Springfield News-Leader, the first cow was struck by a passing train early in the morning. A short time later, the driver of a pickup truck found 10 to 15 cows standing in the roadway near the railroad tracks. That driver struck three cows. Two of the cows hit were killed; two others were so badly hurt that they had to be euthanized. The pickup was so badly damaged in the accident that it had to be towed.

If you have never lived near livestock, you may be surprised at how serious an accident between a cow and a car can be. Cows are fragile creatures without metal shells, seatbelts or airbags -- but unlike human beings, they weigh up to 1,600 pounds. Hitting one with a passenger vehicle is not totally unlike hitting a wall. Cattle have been known to total cars and cause serious injuries to the people inside those cars. To all appearances, this driver must have been lucky, given that his truck was not drivable after this accident. Under normal visibility circumstances, cow-car accidents are rare because cows just don?t move that quickly.

Cows don?t carry auto insurance, of course, but drivers who hit one in Missouri may be covered by the insurance of an at-fault party, depending on the circumstances. Under the law, farmers who have livestock must maintain fences to corral their livestock; owners of neighboring land often must split the cost of these division fences. If either neighbor has failed to maintain a solid fence that meets legal standards, that person is legally responsible for the results of cattle escaping. That includes causing an auto accident. Of course, drivers may also be liable for the accident -- including the cost of the cow -- if they were driving carelessly. Many drivers must file a Missouri auto accident lawsuit in order to prove they were not at fault and get the insurance settlement they are owed.

A car accident involving a cow may sound funny, but it can destroy vehicles, cause serious injuries and cost many thousands of dollars. If you or someone you care about was involved in an auto accident in Missouri or southern Illinois -- whether or not it involved livestock -- you should talk to the Lowe Law Firm. Based in St. Louis and Belleville, Illinois, our St. Louis car crash lawyers represent people who sustained serious injuries or lost a loved one in serious traffic accidents. To learn more about your options at a free, confidential consultation, please call the firm toll-free at 1-877-678-3400 or contact us online.

Full post as published by Missouri Injury Lawyer Blog on April 13, 2009 (boomark / email).