#Woman sues after getting injured by 700-pound cow at her former high school

A woman is suing her a Connecticut school board after she claims she was seriously injured by a 700-pound cow during a return visit to her alma mater.

Stephanie Kokenos, of Shelton, alleges in a lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in March that the hefty heifer hurt her during a May 2018 visit to Trumbull High School’s Agriscience and Biotechnology Center, the Connecticut Post reports.

Kokenos, a former track athlete who graduated in 2017, returned to visit Melissa Cunningham, a teacher in the school’s equine science program, according to her suit, which seeks damages in excess of $15,000.

Cunningham asked Kokenos during her visit to help two students feed the 700-pound cow, named Luna, when the animal “suddenly and unexpectedly” backed her into a corner in the animal’s stall, her lawsuit claims.

The cow then put its head down and pushed it twice against Kokenos’ knee, leaving her with significant injuries — a torn ACL, a partially torn MCL and pain in her right knee — and a “loss of enjoyment of life’s pleasures” since being unable to take part in her typical recreational activities, she claims.

Her suit claims staffers at the school failed to protect Kokenos and did not follow proper protocols during her visit.

An attorney for the town and the Trumbull Board of Education, both of which are named in the suit, is requesting an extension to September to respond to Kokenos’ allegations, the newspaper reports.

Cunningham and attorney Michael Oleyer did not return requests for comment, the Connecticut Post reports.

Kokenos, meanwhile, was named to the school’s honor roll in 2015, the Trumbull Times reported.