Not sure how old this story is but looks recent

Just saw this on UTube....a California jury awarded an injured motercyclist $8.6 million from a 2004 hog accident

Mentioned the state was negligent in protecting motorist from wild hogs. In 2004, a reforestation project by the state must have attracted hogs to a region close to the highway.

IMO it will lead to every motorist/animal accident being a case of negligence of the state. Any 2-bit attorney can show a deer was attacted to grass, tree, etc planted by the state & hence negligent.

Had the state of California hired hunters to reduce the hog population in the area, I am sure the Sierra Club or other whack job outfit would have sued to stop the culling.

Maybe an opportunity for increased hog hunting in California, but somehow, I dought it

A good attorney should have been able to plant the notion that any reasonable and responsible motorcyclist should have recognized that the area was attractive to wildlife, that visibility was reduced and thus should have reduced his speed. Failing to do so was the responsibility of the motorcyclist and thus the state was not at fault.

LOL though, from the sounds of things, I don't believe the state of California HAS 8.6 million dollars to award the guy.

I used to ride motorcycles a lot, and any time I approached an area where I thought or knew deer lived or fed, I got off the throttle. It saved my bacon on several occasions.

On the other hand though, I know the County Sheriff did cite one guy north of town that had a deer feeder in his back yard. Deer crossing the highway to feed in his backyard were causing quite a few accidents in the same 1/4 mile stretch of highway.

But what if the guy with the feeder was using it to reduce the numbers of deer in the area making it safer for motorists?
Also don't see where a sheriff would have the power to cite someone for having a feeder on there property. Would never go over in Texas.
Rodney.

Boarman, We have the exact same scenario in Southeast Arkansas on a refuge where I work.

We reforested former agri. lands up to the highway and at least 4 hogs have been hit by vehicles. Thankfully no injuries.

Only one has been hit next to the reforestation and 3 that I know of were hit down the road where cotton fields abut each side of the highway. All hogs were in the 200-275 pound class. Totalled out one small sedan.

The southeastern states are getting over run by feral hogs due to hog hunting interest on the increase and since they are not game animals here, there is no closed season on private land. Hunters buy them alive and release them on or near public hunting areas such as National Wildlife Refuges or State Wildlife Management areas or just where ever they want to hunt them. There ought to be a law.......but it would be dang near impossible to enforce due to so much rural area here.

On the refuge, We have cage traps, snares, and shooting during routine work activities going all year long. Open public hunting on them during refuge hunting season and the population keeps expanding exponentially.

Google up feral hogs in Texas or some related wording if you want to see what kind of damage feral hogs can do. Not to mention eating virtually all acorns hitting the ground that approx. 174 wildlife species rely on for food.

White-tails and squirrels are taking a real hit.

I know things are wierd in Cal. but some control measures must take place. Let hogs eat the liberal's landscape plants and root up their yards and even they will be crying for the hogs to be killed. Urban deer can't even come close to doing the damage of feral hogs.

The most efficient way to get them in open lands is shooting out of a helicopter.

We had a 350# boar in a snare last Friday. That was one mad animal. Caught 3 more in snares and 10 in cage traps. Merg

The guy was charged with creating a traffic hazard. Evidently the police had talked to him several times about the problem and he refused to remove the feeder.

One of the deputies (a friend of mine) had talked with him about it and the guy feeding the deer got REALLY obnoxious with the cops daring them to make him take the feeder down.

With car/deer collisions that averaged a couple a week for months, there was a lot damage created.

As a side note, the dipshit who got that award here in California was well over legally drunk.
Yeah, he deserves and award allright!

This state is crazy !!!

Let me see if I've got this straight.

The guy was legally drunk, driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated on a public roadway, when he hit the pig?

And for this behavior, he's getting 8.6 million dollars!?!?!?!

I've heard California is screwed up, but this takes the cake! And the judge that even allowed this case to go to court should be removed from his position!

My son just got back from Hawaii, where they saw a road killed hog.
Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by Shof:
The guy was legally drunk, driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated on a public roadway, when he hit the pig?

And for this behavior, he's getting 8.6 million dollars!?!?!?!

Let's see ... based on my calculations, if this is the "standard" ... I am owed somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.6 trillion dollars for just the time that I was in college!

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:

Let's see ... based on my calculations, if this is the "standard" ... I am owed somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.6 trillion dollars for just the time that I was in college!

LOL Wendell, you and me both!

With that as the precedent I'm going to go hit a few hogs so I can retire.