Thursday, November 08, 2007

Watch out for dangerous cows

1. Cambodian police investigating the deaths of at least six people in traffic accidents have arrested a suspect - a cow.

Pin Doman, a police chief based on the outskirts of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, said the animal is thought to have caused a series of crashes over the past year.

He said the cow's owner could also face a six-month prison term under a new traffic law that holds people responsible for accidents caused by their animals.

The white 5-ft tall cow was standing in the middle of a main road on Monday when a 66-year-old motorcyclist crashed into it and died. It is not known whether or not the beast was injured.

Earlier this year, the same cow was responsible for another traffic accident that resulted in the death of five people and several injuries, when a truck veered off the road and crashed as its driver tried to avoid the animal.

Mr Pin said the cow was being held at his police station.

He said the cow's owner had been warned four times in the past to keep his cattle leashed - and could face prison time if the relatives of those who died decided to initiate legal proceedings.

2. An American couple have survived unscathed after their minivan was crushed - by a falling cow.

Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when Michelle, a 600lb rodeo cow, landed on their bonnet.

Amazingly, the beast had fallen 200ft from a cliff.

Chelan County fire chief Arnold Bake said the couple missed being killed by a matter of inches in the accident near Manson in Washington State.

The pair, who were visiting the area to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, were taken to hospital but later released.

Unfortunately, Michelle was not so lucky. She had to be put down.

Mr Everson, 49, said he was in shock as he watched the bovine bounce off his battered bonnet.

He told the Detroit Fee Press: "I'm just glad to be alive. It's raining cows out here, man!"

The chauffeur said he saw something hit his vehicle but amazingly kept on driving for a mile before pulling over.

"Wham! It happened so fast I actually thought it was a deer," he told the paper.

"All of a sudden I'm looking at it, and I tell my wife, 'It's a cow,'" he said.

"I kept saying, 'I don't believe it.' I must have said that 20 or 30 times."

Chelan County Sheriff's Sergeant Mike Harris said the animal was a Professional Bull Rider-registered cow that had escaped its ranch about a month ago.

"It was bred for rodeo," Sgt Harris told the paper. "It was not your normal cow in a field."

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