Crash with cow injures police chief
By Nicole Burns for the FCT
Phil Campbell Police Chief Merrell Potter is back at work after crashing his police cruiser into a cow early Thursday morning. The wreck happened along Highway 81 in Phil Campbell.
Potter was on his way to work when his cruiser struck a cow standing in the middle of the road. Potter said the vehicle is in pretty bad shape and will likely be totaled by the insurance company. The cow died on scene and left behind a 400-pound calf with a leg injury.
Potter went to the hospital to be checked out. He said there were no broken bones, but he was banged up. He had hoped to return to work the next day but took the weekend to recover instead. “I just thank the good Lord that I wasn’t seriously hurt,” said Potter.
Phil Campbell Mayor Steve Bell said, “First and foremost, I’m thankful the chief wasn’t seriously injured. We can replace the car. We’ll be looking at options over the next week or so, depending on what insurance does.”
Potter said the insurance adjuster was scheduled to look at the police cruiser on Monday and decide if it is repairable or if it will be totaled.
The cow’s owner stepped up and claimed the cows. Potter said the cows slipped out of their fence during the night.
Even though Alabama has a law against roaming livestock, it is only enforced when the offense is a habitual problem. Potter said this case, however, was simply an accident.
