A lawsuit filed Friday in a Texarkana federal court alleges a rancher should be held liable for damages resulting from a car and cow collision earlier this year in Sevier County, Ark.
Jay Ragan, of Eagletown, Okla., filed suit in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas with the help of Texarkana lawyer Jim Wyly of the Wyly Rommel law firm. Named as defendants in the suit are Joe Stafford and Clifton Stafford, both of DeQueen, Ark.
The complaint alleges Ragan was driving to work April 22 when his car struck a black cow as it traveled east on Highway 24 West near Horatio in Sevier County. Ragan's car became airborne and suffered significant damage, according to the complaint. Ragan alleges he suffered a severe spinal injury which has required surgical treatment.
According to the complaint, Ragan was taken via ambulance to DeQueen Medical Center after the accident, and one of the defendants collected the cow's carcass following the wreck after being contacted by law enforcement.
The complaint alleges the bovine's owners have a history of allowing livestock to wander the streets, endangering the public. The defendants are accused of negligence for allegedly failing to have proper enclosures for their animals. Joe Stafford and Clifton Stafford should have installed a system which would warn them should a cow breach its pen, the complaint alleges. The complaint accuses the Staffords of violating Arkansas law by allowing livestock to roam on a public roadway.
Ragan seeks to recover damages for past and future medical expenses, past and future pain and suffering and for past and future physical impairment. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey.