A judge in Bennington, Vermont stopped a line of questioning in a negligent driving trial that attempted to tie Bigfoot in as a factor in a fatal crash. The defense argued that prosecutors had no way of knowing whether Mark T. Zielinski was swerving his van last June to avoid an obstacle -- such as a Bigfoot crossing the road -- when he veered into the other lane and hit an oncoming van. The driver of the second van died from injuries in the crash.

The defense attorney questioned the investigating officer about moose crossing at the crash location along Route 7 in Shaftsbury, then proceeded to connect the dots regarding bigfoot sightings in the same vicinity.

The judge, possibly mindful of the notoriety he'd garner in permitting "The Bigfoot Defense," shut down further questioning along those lines.

The notion of Bigfoot as a traffic hazard is nothing new, though highway encounters with this shaggy-but-shy monster rarely result in fatalities. Two members of the Roadsideamerica.com Team once interviewed a NJ driver who had encountered Bigfoot twice on the same stretch of road, once leaping over the hood of his car. After taking his deposition, we headed to a bar to question a lady about UFO burn marks on her front lawn.... [03/20/2004]

February 10, 2012