Nice day to fix fence...NOT

Cold,rain/snow mix and some old coot drove through a 5 strand barbed wire fence.

I had put my heavy coveralls on figuring they'd soak up water before it got to my skin if I worked fast. I took a bale across the road,closed the gate and had to wait for a car that was coming before I could cross the road. An SUV. The old guy never slowed down,never made any attempt to turn,just ran straight off the curve,up through the ditch,through the fence and out in the pasture. I drove down there quick,had quite a time even getting his attention,he finally rolled down the back window before he rolled down the front one. Seemed real confused. Didn't have a clue why he'd done what he did. I told him not to try to drive back out so he tore up any more fence.

I came up and called the cops. While I was on the phone,he drove back down nose first in to the ditch. I hung up and shot right back down there on the tractor. By then he was hung up crossways with two wheels off the ground. I sat there in the rain for 20 minutes or more waiting for the cops. A neighbor stopped and I told him to wait there a minute,I'd get the wife to come down in the pickup and wait.

I was loading the second load of silage when a state cop finally went by. I shot back down and the guy was telling him just what he did and that he didn't know what happened. Handicap plate,walker in the back seat,confused as all get out and when the wrecker go his car out,the cop let him get right back in and drive away.

If he goes down the road and kills somebody,it's not on me. I called the cops. Now I'm just hoping the rain lets up long enough to fix the fence without having to change everything all the way down to and including my underwear again.

(quoted from post at 07:32:41 03/30/17) Cold,rain/snow mix and some old coot drove through a 5 strand barbed wire fence.

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Gee when I read that first line I though you drove through yer own fence on a tractor....... :lol:

Rick

Poor old lad probably shouldn't be driving anymore . Just don't think they can pull him off the road for running threw your fence , young folks do that kind of thing too. Real pain in the butt for you.

Naw,if I did it,I'd sure be keeping my mouth shut about it. LOL

I think if he'd wanted to,the cop could have called an ambulance and had the old guy checked out for his own good. As confused as he was,I don't think it would have taken much to talk him in to it.

When I was a teen, there was a car sitting in a field, just inside the fence, buried up in the mud.

Story was the owner refused to pay for the fence that was knocked down. The rancher repaired the fence with the car inside, told him he could have the car when he paid.

That car sat there for years! It may still be there, haven't been out that way in a long, long time.

I'm gonna have to start doing what an old neighbor used to do and demand cash before they leave. I saw him get $60 out of a guy one night for an old wooden post and one strand of rusted barbed wire. It's a nightmare to get anything out of somebody's insurance. The cops always tell me I'll have to go through my own insurance company to even get the police report. The only time I ever collected was when some young girl took out the whole corral. Her dad got here before the cops did. When I asked him if he wanted to write a check,he told me to turn it in to his insurance,so I got the information from him before the cops got here. Then his insurance company gave me grief over what I charged them. I told the adjuster on the phone that if she knew somebody who'd come out on a Saturday in February and do that kind of work at the spur of the moment so the cows didn't get out,give me their number so I could call them next time. They sent me a check for what I wanted.

I'd bet you could get some money for that fence. A neighbor close to me got $5K for an old rusty woven wire that he never fixed and few years later tore out. Not saying you would or should.

If the cop filed an accident report you can get that to get his name and address,then go file a damage claim against him in small claims court.You'll hear from his insurance company real
quick once he gets the warrant to appear in court.Get the cops name too to supena him to court.

Food for thought if i hadn't read your story i would have done the same thing . I wonder if the cop didn't want to handle the paperwork he took the easy route. Now after seeing your story i think i would call an ambulance what the cop did could cost someone his life i wonder if a little chat with his superiors might be in order. Or ask a question in the local paper.

My buddy was having problems with ATVs riding a powerline going out into his field to get around a muddy patch. They were doing a number on his single strand fence. One saturday morning he heard them going down through so he grabbed his shotgun and drove down around to the road crossing. He intercepted them there, and while cradling his shotgun in one arm and a smile on his face he collected $20.00 from each of them.

Probably,but I already went out and fixed it. The rain let up to just a mist for a while,so I put in a new post and spliced the wires back together. Still needs a little work before the cows start reaching through it for green grass on the other side,but it'll hold'em for now.

Good luck with that neither he nor the insurance will show up!!! The cop will be "excused"

In my experience, it costs more if I have to fix fence in rain or snow.

Green grass what's that? Isn't that something they have in Colorado now? LOL

Might have time to fix it when it's not so wet out. If you can wait for it to green up out there.

You should be able to file a damage claim against the gentleman's auto insurance without going to court. Most insurance companies pay those off quick;y if the claim is reasonable. You won't get rich, but it will take the sting out of the ordeal. Include your time at the scene and a towing fee if you towed the car. If you didn't take pictures of the car and the damaged fence, at least take a few pictures of the tire tracks and the repairs to back up your claim. Good luck.

The cop won't be excused and if they don't show up Randy will get judgement and then he can go after assets and/or income.My wife worked for a collection agency they do it all the time.

Can you see any grass up your way? I came home and told Dixie I just came home by the cause way. She said, Why did you call it that? I said, because it is lake on both sides of the road. Toledo weather said this morning that we should get 1 1/2" in our area. Wish it had stopped at that.

Ya,we had some wet snow on the ground this morning,but the rain and warm ground took it off pretty quick.

(quoted from post at 12:30:47 03/30/17) The cop won't be excused and if they don't show up Randy will get judgement and then he can go after assets and/or income.My wife worked for a collection agency they do it all the time.

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Same here. No show means finding against them.