Minnesota police officer strikes cow he was searching for

March 1 (UPI) -- A sheriff's deputy found a loose cow he was sent looking for when he accidentally struck the animal with his squad car.

A Minnesota State Patrol incident report stated that the crash occurred after 10 p.m. on Monday when the Kanabec County sheriff's deputy was making a second pass through the area and the cow ran out from a ditch.

The patrol cars airbags deployed following the collision and the deputy, identified as 30-year-old Deputy Daniel Steven Schulz, was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The squad car was also totaled and the cow, which had escaped from a local farm, was killed in the crash.

"I'd have to say this is the first time I've ever had them hit the animal they're looking for," Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith said. "But then again, that's exactly why we go look for them. I've been to too many serious accidents and even fatalities caused by livestock on the road."