Man Rescued as his Car Hit’s a Buffalo
Fire fighters cut a 19-year-old man free from his car after it crashed
into a water buffalo in south Cumbria.
The Fiat Punto hit the large animal on the A590, near
Dalton-in-Furness, on Monday night.
Police said the privately-owned buffalo, known locally as William
Shakespeare, died at the scene. It had escaped from a nearby field.
The driver, from Barrow, was taken to Furness General Hospital and
treated for minor injuries.
Two other cars, a Ford Focus and a Nissan Micra, collided after
swerving to avoid the buffalo and the Fiat.
Police investigation
The Nissan's two occupants were taken to hospital where the female
passenger was treated for whiplash.
A Cumbria Police spokesman said the buffalo had escaped from the field
on previous occasions.
He said: "A water buffalo named William Shakespeare, who was very well
known in the area, tragically sustained fatal injuries in the
collision and died at the scene.
"Its owner is from the Walney area and it is believed to have escaped
before.
"There will be a normal police investigation into the collision."
BBC News: 4th September 2007
