Baby cow injured after being struck by SUV in Easthampton

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - A baby cow that police say escaped from Heritage Farms was injured Wednesday night when it ran into the path of an SUV on Florence Road.

According to Police Capt. Donald C. Emerson, at 11:47 p.m., officer Todd Joseph responded to a report that a 2003 Ford Explorer driven by Alexandra Whiting, 17, of Northampton, had struck and injured a cow that was running loose in the roadway.

"There was a row of cars parked on the side of the road and when she tried to drive around them a cow ran right into her car," said Rick Whiting, Alexandra's father. "She was uninjured but she is still very shaken up. She is an animal lover so she's going to be hurt when she hits an animal."

About a half hour later, Emerson said Joseph was able to locate the cow hiding in the woods nearby. The animal, he said, was hurt in the accident but didn't appear to suffer any life-threatening injuries.

While filling out an accident report at the police station Thursday afternoon, Rick Whiting pointed out that black fur from the cow was still lodged in the grill of the family's gray SUV and estimated damage to the vehicle to be approximately $3,000.

When contacted Thursday, an employee at Heritage Farms declined to comment on how the cow got loose because she wasn't present at the time.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.