For Highway Patrol, a mooving experience
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
You’re driving down U.S. 52 in Darlington County late on a Sunday night and you see … a herd of cows blocking the road? That’s what the S.C. Highway Patrol was called to deal with Nov. 14. About a dozen cows escaped their farm near Nucor Steel sometime that night, wandered into a resident’s back yard, then sort of stopped on the highway. Highway Patrol Master Trooper Brian Lee said a trooper helped the cows’ owner herd them back home. “They got out on the roadway,” Lee said. “(The trooper on the scene) was able to get them corralled up” with aid from the farmer who owned the animals. He said it took about half an hour. A nearby woman who called 911 told local news media the cows dented her parked car: “When I called 911, they were like, ‘Don’t go back outside.’ Because those cows do chase you.” That was a smart precaution, according to Lee. “You don’t know how that animal might react,” he said. So what should you do if you come upon a dozen cows blocking the highway late a night? First, Lee says, don’t get out of your car, because even cows aren’t always harmless. You can try honking your horn, Lee says, or flashing your extra-bright headlights. Best bet: Call 911.
