Danger! Cattle Crossing Ahead!
December 30th, 2006
The state I live in is not one known for its heavy population of cattle ranchers. Although there are numerous cattle farms around, most of them would hardly be considered “Ranches”. Most just have less than 100, and use them simply for selling a little beef to the local markets. There are regulations about fencing and enclosures for the ones that do have cattle. However, that didn’t stop one of these individuals from trying to move a group of his cattle late one night. The problem was, this farmer thought that he could save a bit of money in hauling fees by just waiting until late at night to move his cattle, without loading them into trailers.
Well this intelligent farmer waited until about 3 AM one morning, and then began his cattle drive of about 30 head. The problem started when he started pushing them across a 4 lane interstate. Yep, you read that correctly!! This guy tried to run his cattle across an interstate. At least he had the hillbilly smarts enough to wait until he thought there would not be as many cars running the roads!!
When we arrived, we pulled up to about 6 vehicles that ranged from minor fender damage to completely totaled. There was now a complete backup of traffic, as semi trucks had blocked the roads to prevent more vehicles from being involved, luckily.
One small car was unfortunate enough to be the first involved. It was occupied by two teenage girls that were on their way home from an out of state visit. They hit the cow straight on, and there was massive damage to the car, to the point of being unrecognizable. The driver was barely alive, and had obvious head and chest trauma. Both occupants had to be extricated, and despite being flown immediately upon extrication to a level 1 trauma center, she could not be saved.
There were numerous injuries in the other vehicles, but most were minor. For the most part, people were just complaining of back pain and some small cuts and abrasions.
As for the smart ass farmer that caused all of this? Well, I think he ended up being held financially responsible for most of the damages, but since I seen him again a couple of months later, I can only assume he did not serve any time. It is amazing how our legal system gives lenience to stupid people.
The whole thing seemed reminiscent of some sicko game of Frogger!
