Newfoundlanders file law suits against Province for Moose collisions

More than 700 moose are struck each year by motorists in the Newfoundland province Two Canadians injured in car collisions with moose in Newfoundland have filed a class-action lawsuit against the province, claiming it has not properly controlled the animal's numbers.

The pair filed the case against the provincial government in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.Ben Bellows and Hugh George have both been paralysed by injuries sustained in separate car accidents involving moose.
More than 700 of the animals are struck each year by motorists in the province.
The creatures, which can weigh up to 750kg (1,600lb), support their body weight on four slender legs, allowing their bodies easily to crash down on top of cars when involved in collisions.There are roughly 125,000 moose in Newfoundland, a province with 480,000 residents.
The lawsuit is intended to push the government to take steps to reduce the number of accidents by 50% in five years, said Ches Crosbie, the lawyer heading the lawsuit against the province.Both Mr Bellows and Mr George, who have been restricted to wheelchairs following their accidents, are also seeking financial assistance in the case.

"The government has decided to bury its head in the sand about moose-vehicle collisions, which have us all terrified," Mr Crosbie told the Toronto Sun newspaper.About 40 other people have also signed on to the class-action suit, Mr Crosbie added.The accidents involving moose in Newfoundland are "no acts of God, but acts of government", a document filed by the plaintiffs said.