Portuguese railway company demands €26,000 from shepherds for run-over sheep — Diario As
Portugal’s state-owned railway company, Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), is seeking more than 26,000 euros in compensation from two local shepherds.
The incident was reported by the local newspaper Diario As Beiras.
Last December, a train struck a flock of 89 sheep that had wandered onto the tracks in the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho.
Now, the owners of the deceased animals may be forced to cover significant financial losses incurred by the country’s transportation system.
According to journalists, “the company wants to receive compensation for the damage caused to the train and the transportation service.”
The company’s lawyers have already prepared the necessary documents to recover funds from the farmers, as the accident caused a prolonged disruption on the railway line.
The major incident occurred near the village of Verridi on a complex section of track.
During the official pre-trial investigation, the locomotive engineer testified, “that as he was exiting a curve, he encountered a herd on the railroad tracks, applied the emergency brakes, but was unable to avoid the collision.”
The multi-ton vehicle simply could not stop in time due to the short braking distance.
As a result of the deadly collision, all 89 sheep on the tracks were killed on the spot. Investigators determined that the flock belonged to different owners who were grazing the animals together.
Specifically, 65 sheep belonged to one shepherd, and the remaining 24 to another local farmer. For both men, the loss of their livestock has already been a serious blow, which has now been compounded by a lawsuit.
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