Farm Animals Law Applies to Death of Ranch Hand

In a case of first impression, a Texas appellate court ruled that the Liability Arising From Farm Animals Act applied to a worker’s fatal accident, even though his death was not caused directly by the actions of a farm animal. Randal and Beverly Kinnibrugh own and raise cattle. Their son, Kyle Kinnibrugh, worked for them as a ranch hand, as did Richard Poteet. Randal and Kyle Kinnibrugh were working together with Poteet to vaccinate cows in November 2024. To administer the vaccines, they secured each cow into a hydraulic squeeze chute. Kyle Kinnibrugh operated levers that opened ...