Unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon sight to see loose livestock alongside the roadway around here, and scary accidents like these remind us all how serious it is and how important it is to report loose livestock when you see it. The unthinkable happened for one young woman this past Friday night, January 18 as she was traveling down FM 463. The driver was headed towards Lytle when she struck two large cows and a bull, all estimated to weigh over 1,000 pounds each.
The call came in around 10:45 pm just a little way past Roy’s Beverage Barn.
“It’s hard to know exactly what happened, but it looked like she hit the first cow right in the middle of the roadway and then another cow was about 20-25 feet down, and off to the right a little, and then the third one was another 20 feet down the road and we found that in the ditch,” said Natalia Volunteer Fireman Derek Caddell.
“I’d say the car traveled another 100 feet past the third cow, where the driver totally lost control and ran off the road into a cinderblock gate entryway. Cinderblocks went through her window and landed in her passenger side seat. She is lucky to be alive.”
“This is why I report loose livestock anytime I see it,” Caddell adds.
Another person who drove up on scene shortly afterward stated, “It was dark and really foggy so she didn’t even see the cows…but thankfully she was okay with just minor scratches and bruises. She wasn’t even transported by ambulance.”
The landowner whose gate was destroyed in the accident, Viola Potter, stated “I came out my front door and all I could see were the red and white lights flashing at the end of my driveway. I immediately had to fix my fence then so that my animals wouldn’t get out too. I have worked fire/ems for many years and I am glad the driver was okay. There was nothing left of the entire front end of the car. It destroyed my gate which was built of cinderblocks, covered with cement and wrought iron. My water mane was also busted in the accident so we were out of water til the next day as well.”
If you see loose livestock, please take the time to call the Medina County dispatcher’s office at 830-741-6153. You never know when it could prevent an accident and save someone’s life.
