A person and a cow are dead following a recent motor vehicle wreck on Highway 18. A man was driving a van westbound on Highway 18 when he struck a cow that was on the road. His van then went off the highway and hit a tree. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.
Livestock does not often go on the road. The owners of cows, horses, sheep, and other domestic animals keep their livestock inside of barns, fenced pastures, or other contained areas to protect the animals from harm. Unfortunately, cows and other livestock occasionally escape from their shelter or enclosure and wander around loose. When one or more animals escape, they create a risk of harm to themselves and people.
The risk of harm increases when livestock wanders into a road. Drivers are not expecting to encounter livestock on the highway, and they may attempt to swerve to avoid the animal that has suddenly appeared in their path. Unfortunately, swerving can sometimes cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and have a wreck. Also, even if a driver swerves, the animal could continue moving in a way that makes a collision unavoidable.
Any collision with a wild or domestic animal has the potential to cause injury or death to the people and animals involved in the crash. Large animals like moose, deer, horses, and cows pose the greatest threat because of their size and weight. When a vehicle strikes an animal, the animal may be tossed into the air before it lands on the vehicle’s hood, roof, or windshield. Animals that are large and heavy can crush cars and shatter windshields, severely injuring or killing vehicle occupants.
Collisions with animals are dangerous and often deadly. Fortunately, drivers can sometimes avoid having a vehicle wreck when they encounter an animal on the road. If you see an animal in the street, slow down if it is at all possible. Look carefully at the area around you. Both escaped livestock, and some wild animals like deer tend to travel in groups. When one animal moves into the road, others may be following it.
If you can avoid hitting the animal or animals that are on the road without swerving so hard that you wreck your vehicle, that is the best possible result. However, due to traffic, weather conditions, or other circumstances, you may not see the animal or animals that are on the road until a collision is inevitable. In that situation, if you can hit the animal at an angle rather than head-on, it is a good idea to do so. Hitting an animal at an angle increases the chance that the animal will be deflected from your vehicle instead of onto it.
If you were hurt or someone that you love was killed in an accident involving a wild animal or livestock, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney right away. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to serve you and your family. Call us at 1 (800) 707-9577 to learn more.