As a driver, if a cow steps out in front of the car and beef on bumper contact is made, who is to blame: you or the farmer?
This has always been a murky issue in the courts, but a landmark ruling recently helped a motorcycle rider recover his full medical expenses after a collision.
The cow had escaped from the farm onto the open road, after ramblers passing along a public footpath that crossed the farmer's land left a gate open.
The rider was a policyholder of Allianz Cornhill Legal Protection and had a fully underwritten uninsured loss recovery policy at the time of purchasing his motorcycle insurance.
This meant he had immediate access to a specialist injury solicitor from day one.
On going to court, ironically the judge, Recorder Bullock (yes, Bullock!) found the farmer negligent due to not carrying out a risk assessment, installing a stile, cattle grid or self-closing mechanism, nor attaching a warning sign to the gate.
