Dairy farmer Mike Hosking walks his cows across Mountain Road in the Town of Mount Hope Tuesday. A car ran into a line of cows crossing the road back to the barn Monday. Cows were injured and the car was totaled. TOM BUSHEY/Times Herald-Record
Farmer Mike Hosking might lose three of his milk cows after a distracted driver slammed into his herd as it crossed the road between the two parts of his farm Monday evening.
The accident happened about 5 p.m. Monday — when there still was plenty of light.
Witnesses at the Hosking farm claimed the driver was texting. Mount Hope police Chief Paul Rickard said the driver, Daisy Cowit, 21, of Wawayanda, denied that but said she was looking down to check an incoming call, but in any event “it wasn’t like a quick glance down.”
Or as Hosking put it, “If you don’t see 50 cows in the road, you’re doing something (you shouldn’t be doing).”
Cowit struck a total of six or seven cows, three of whom were seriously hurt. She also nearly hit one of Hosking’s farm hands, who desperately tried to signal her to stop. One witness told police the impact knocked one of the cows five feet into the air.
Hosking said he’ll be closely monitoring the seriously hurt cows in the days ahead.
“It’s going to take a week or two to see” how their health progresses and how they respond to the medication they were given, Hosking said.
No criminal charges were filed against Cowit, but Rickard said the investigation remains open.
Hosking, who’s the third generation of his family to farm that land, said traffic on the road, known alternately as Mountain Road and County Road 35, is much heavier now than it was years ago, and many of the drivers can be seen using their cell phones.
Some time ago, another driver lost control of his car and plowed into one of Hosking’s silos — and would have ended up inside if the silo hadn’t been filled.
Adding insult to injury, Hosking said someone who came to pick up Cowit — whose car was totaled by the impact with multiple animals weighing an average of 1,500 pounds each — didn’t understand why so much fuss was being made over a few injured cows.
Aside from the financial value — they can be worth $3,000 or more — Hosking and his crew said the cows have names and become like part of the family.
“I think more of those cows than I do of some people,” Hosking said.
Rickard is hoping the crash serves as one more high-profile reminder why it’s important not to use your cell phone in any way while driving.
Hosking concurred, noting it could have been worse. At another time of day, he said, “She could have hit kids who were waiting for a school bus.”
Source: th-record.com
