Bernalillo County is facing a lawsuit after a woman became involved in a crash in which she struck a cow on Shelly Drive in 2019.
According to a Jan. 3 report by KRQE, the suit holds both the county and landowners responsible for upkeep of the fencing alongside the highway to prevent cattle from crossing the road and walking along it.
“If they can understand it and if they can maintain their livestock in a manner in which they cannot be a nuisance to the community or their neighbor," New Mexico Representative of District 65, Derrick Lente, said about changing the law. "I don’t want to fix anything that in some case may not be broken just because it may be a little bit ambiguous.”
The same stretch of road has seen eight accidents involving cars and cows within the past four years, KRQE reports.
The lawsuit comes as the driver sustained injuries, as well as a heavily damaged car, from the crash, although it could have been prevented.
Among those involved in the lawsuit include Bernalillo County, Western Albuquerque Land Holdings LLC and Garrett Development Corp. While KRQE reports recent amendments to the free-range law require the New Mexico Department of Transportation to take measures to keep livestock off state highways, it does not mandate anything for city or county roads.