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A motorcyclist who ended up in hospital after hitting a stray sheep has been told he has to pay for damage done to the road.
Moray Ferguson, 47, from Cuminestown in Aberdeenshire, was put in intensive care following the accident in July.
But two months on, he has been sent a bill by Aberdeenshire Council charging him £200 for damage to the road.
Mr Ferguson condemned the letter but the council said it had to ask if people or their insurers would pay.
The father-of-two was left fighting for his life after hitting the sheep on the unclassified Cuminestown to Fyvie Road.
‘Not my fault’
He suffered injuries including a broken hip socket, pelvis and collarbone, seven cracked ribs and a collapsed lung.
The 47-year-old was thrown from his bike before it was destroyed by flames, damaging the road.
The biker said he was appalled to receive a bill from the local council charging him £200 for the damage caused to the road.
Something has to be done to stop these animals getting out, why should Moray be blamed for it?
Susan Ferguson
Mr Ferguson said: “I was completely shocked. I phoned my insurance company straight away and sent them a copy of the letter.“The accident wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know there was going to be a stray sheep on the road.”
He added: “I was out of hospital for a few weeks and they were quick enough to bill me. It is hypocritical of the council because there are roads in worse condition and they don’t seem to do anything about them. I wonder what I am paying my tax for.”
Mr Ferguson, a construction engineer, was allowed to return home after five weeks of hospital treatment.
His wife Susan was also critical of the council’s letter, saying the unclassified road often had animals wandering on to it.
She said: “This road is really bad for stray animals wandering about.
“Something has to be done to stop these animals getting out, why should Moray be blamed for it?”
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said it was standard practice to bill someone involved in an accident.
He said: “We regret that the motorcyclist was injured but we contact individuals involved in accidents which cause damage to our property directly.
“It gives them the option of putting it to their insurers, or paying for it themselves if it’s a minor claim and they don’t want to affect their no claims bonus.”
Source:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8271672.stmHaving riden roads that are knowwn to have stray sheep etc it is rather scary to turn a corner and find one in the middle of the road.
His misses dont help him by saying its known to have wandering sheep bt imo they are so right to contest it. Why shold a legal road user be penalised for a farmers inability to control his flock? Suely the sheep is marked and therefore owned by someone, if the sheep is found to be responsible for the incident then def the farmer owning the sheep should not only pay the councils road repair but also be liable for the damage to the bike and rider?
Its about time the road tax payer got the defence and support from the local council and the offender (farmer) got penalised!bit of a tricky one is that, as pete says the sheep is marked and belongs to a farmer so he should keep them under control. if a farmer spreads crap all over the road and you fall off your bike, aslong as you can prove it was that farmer you can sue his ass!! so its the same thing essentially. and also as it says in the passage you see roads all the time that are totally unacceptable to ride/drive on but they do nothing about it! cheeky B**tards!!
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