P-plater who ploughed car into herd of cattle recounts 'terrifying' ordeal

A 19-year-old P-plate driver, Hervic Declarador, narrowly escaped with his life after ploughing his brand-new ute into a herd of 50 cows on a South Coast Highway near Marbelup, about 420km south of Perth. The accident occurred on an unlit stretch of the highway at around 10pm on Sunday, with the driver having just purchased the car two weeks earlier.

Declarador described the experience as "terrifying" and "intense", saying that he was blinded by the headlights of a parked car as he rounded a corner, only to see the cows just 15 metres away. Despite the car's safety features, he suffered significant damage to the front of the vehicle, with the bonnet caved in and unrecognizable.

Police found four dead cows on the road and euthanized three more injured animals at the scene. Superintendent John Munday stated that no charges were laid, and responsibility for the investigation was handed to the City of Albany. He warned that incidents involving livestock on roads are dangerous and have led to fatalities and serious injuries in the past.