Summary: Over 100 cattle were wandering around a highway in Mississippi – does the law cover that?
Drivers in Jackson, Mississippi encountered an interesting sight this morning – over 100 cows roaming free on a freeway after the trailer holding them overturned. See the video below:
It might be surprising to city-dwellers, but there’s actually a law in the Mississippi code addressing livestock on highways:
Mississippi Code Ann. 69-13-111 reads: “The owners of livestock which through their owner’s negligence are found on federal or state designated paved highways or highway rights-of-way shall be subject to any damages as a result of wrecks, loss of life or bodily injury as a result of said livestock being on the above designated highways. The burden shall be on the owner of any such livestock to prove lack of negligence.”
Although this probably doesn’t apply in this case – a car crash isn’t exactly negligence – it’s good to know that our freeways are protected under the law from roaming bands of cattle.
According to WDSU Local News, the 18-wheeler crashed at 3:30 AM this morning on the intersection of I-20 West and Interstate 55 South. Although some cows died in the crash, and others were hit by undoubtedly surprised drivers, most of them happily wandered around the road and into nearby neighborhoods.
The driver was taken to a hospital, but police told WDSU that he had only suffered non-life threatening injuries.
I-20 West opened again around 8:00 this morning, as cows were loaded into trailers by volunteer cattle wranglers.
Video source: wdsu.com