Accident in St. Gallen Hay bale crashes into car - farmer has to pay dearly

At the end of June, a farmer did not properly secure a large hay bale on a sloping meadow. The bale rolled over and injured a man on the main road.

At the end of June, a 23-year-old farmer in Krummenau SG wanted to bale hay with a motorized cart. He deposited the baled bale in the middle of the meadow, which was slightly sloping. The man forgot to secure the hay bale, whereupon it rolled onto the road and hit the front of a 49-year-old Fiat driver.

The hay bale then rolled into the other lane and crashed head-on into the Ford Mustang. The car was being driven by a 60-year-old man.

Damage amounting to 11,000 Swiss francs caused

The Fiat sustained damage of 8,000 Swiss francs and nobody was injured. The 60-year-old Mustang driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The car was damaged to the tune of around 3,000 francs.

According to the St. Gallen public prosecutor's office, the 23-year-old acted in breach of duty, as reported by "20 Minuten". He had unloaded the hay bale on a sloping meadow without securing it to the ground, placing it on a flat spot or securing it in any other way.

"In doing so, he created a considerable danger to life and limb as well as to the property of others using the road below," the penalty order states. With his behavior, the accused "adequately caused" the damage to two vehicles and the injury of one person. It goes on to say: "The fact that a hay bale could roll away on such sloping terrain was recognizable from the outset and could have been avoided had he acted dutifully".

Accused must dig deep into his pockets

At the end of August, the St. Gallen public prosecutor found the 23-year-old guilty of negligently disrupting public traffic and endangering the life and limb of people or other people's property. The accused must pay CHF 1,300 and cover the legal costs of CHF 650. He was also sentenced to a conditional fine of 60 daily rates of CHF 110 each.