More Cow Troubles|for Cliven Bundy

LAS VEGAS (CN) - Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy made international news in April by grazing his cattle on public land, and now a Nevada woman accuses him of negligence, claiming two of his cows got loose and caused an accident on the nearby interstate.

Danielle Marie Beck says she and a friend, Matthew Zanatta, were traveling north on I-15 near Bundy's hometown of Bunkerville at about 1:15 a.m. on April 14 when Bundy negligently allowed two large cows to "enter the fenced right-of-way" of the interstate near mile marker 118.

Zanatta was driving at or near the posted 75 mph speed limit when they "encountered" the two cows blocking both northbound lanes.

Beck's car, a 2008 Mazda 3 sedan, struck a cow, which rolled up onto the top of the car, forcing it off the road and down an embankment, where it struck a culvert and stopped. The cow was killed and the car was totaled.

"Bundy recklessly, carelessly and negligently allowed his cows to enter onto Interstate 15 through an area where he had no grazing or other rights," Beck says. "Bundy had a duty to keep the cows off of the lands adjacent to the freeway."

Beck says the cows entered the freeway through a hole or break in the fence line and she is unsure of how the gap in the fence was created.

Beck says she suffered "severe permanent personal injuries and emotional distress."

She seeks medical expenses, property damages and damages for negligence and lost income.

She is represented by Robert M. Apple.

The accident occurred at the same time Bundy was drawing international attention for an April standoff with the federal Bureau of Land Management over grazing rights. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported on April 17 that federal authorities had euthanized two cows for "safety reasons," without elaborating on the circumstances.

The standoff ended on April 21 after federal authorities completed the roundup and removal of Bundy's cattle that were grazing on federal lands, the Review Journal reported. Several militia groups and others joined Bundy during his standoff with federal authorities and local law enforcement.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit