Loose cows cause crashes, injuries on southern Minnesota highway: Charges

A cow is looking at the camera during a very warm day, at the Ooij, in Nijmegen The Netherlands, on May 31st, 2020. (Photo by Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NICOLLET, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Nicollet County man is facing charges after three of his cows escaped onto a nearby road, leading to multiple crashes and resulting in the death of the animals.
Loose cows on Highway 14
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, the incident happened on the morning of July 24 in the City of Nicollet. Three black cows had broken out of their enclosure and wandered onto Highway 14, where they were struck by three separate drivers.
The complaint details the collisions as follows:
- A driver in the right lane struck one of the cows, causing their vehicle to roll and land on its roof. The driver was hospitalized with a broken leg and a compressed back fracture, and the car was heavily damaged.
- Another driver hit a cow standing in the right lane. The driver veered into the ditch, and while he wasn’t injured, the car sustained damage as a result of the collision.
- The final driver also struck a cow while traveling in the right lane and ended up in the ditch. The collision caused extensive damage, deployed the airbags and left the driver with cuts and glass dust in their eyes.
All three cows died as a result of the various crashes.
History of loose animals
Dig deeper:
The Nicollet County Sheriff’s Office have reportedly contacted the owner 22 times since August 2021 about his animals getting out of their enclosure. Previous reports include horses and cattle on the roadway as well as cattle found near the road or in the ditch.
In June 2024, the owner received a citation after his cattle reportedly escaped and damaged a bean field. Another citation was issued the following month after his cattle damaged the yard of someone’s house, according to the complaint.
The 46-year-old cattle owner was charged via summons on Thursday with two counts of public nuisance and three counts of animal cruelty. A court date has not yet been scheduled.
The Source: A criminal complaint filed in Nicollet County.