Debate over who will pay compensation in cow and car accident

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – A lively discussion on a local city Facebook page caught our attention this week. Question…”My neighbors were driving and they hit a cow in the middle of the road. They were told that the owner of the cow was not responsible for the damage to the car. Is this true?

You can find headlines from around the country about accidents where cars and trucks hit cows. Accidents can cause thousands of dollars in damage to vehicles, injury or even death to drivers.

An article published by University of Missouri Extension states that In cases where animals leave the closed area and cause an accident, the burden of proof now falls on the person who is injured or harmed by the animals. In other words, the article states that the driver must prove that the owner of the animal is at fault.

But local lawyer David Payne In any case, he will have many questions about individual facts before making a statement about responsibility.

“Was the property owner who owned that cow…taking reasonable precautions to keep the cow fenced?” asked lawyer Payne. “Generally speaking, in Missouri, if a property owner makes reasonable efforts, maintains his fences, cares for his cattle, closes gates, repairs water holes, and the landowners exercise reasonable care, but still a cow appears then in Missouri In , it turns out that largely speaking, that landowner is not responsible.

Here’s Payne’s advice when you hit a cow. If you are injured on a public road, call 9-1-1 and law enforcement first. Report to the police. Then call your insurance company. Whether you are a driver or a land owner, you may want to contact your attorney.

So, who will suffer when a cow is hit on a public road?

“It depends,” Payne said. “As long as the landowner acts reasonably and prudently in the circumstances, he will be largely protected from liability. (Paul) So what is reasonable? (David) This is real.”

Each state will have different rules regarding liability in such cases. We discussed Missouri law. The recommendation remains the same in every state. If you are injured, call 911. Also call your insurance company. Consider calling a lawyer.

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