A renegade heifer and an injured leg has resulted in a Cal Poly student suing the university for negligence.

Dairy science junior Nicole Nelsen’s leg was crushed by a cow, tearing ligaments and damaging blood vessels, while taking an artificial insemination class at the Bull Test Unit in November 2010.

Nelsen is now suing Cal Poly to help cover her medical expenses and ensure the safety of facilities is improved for other students, her legal counsel Daniel O’Neill said.

Nelsen was in a breeding shed inseminating a cow when another cow passed through several open gates before breaking down the door to the shed and pinning Nelsen’s leg against the metal bars of the shed, O’Neill said. Without the help of several nearby students, Nelsen’s knee might have needed to be amputated, O’Neill said.

“She had to have surgeries to repair the arteries and reconstruct her knee,” O’Neill said.

Nelsen is suing for negligence and compensation for medical expenses stemming from her surgeries and physical therapy.

In addition to costing her money, Nelsen’s injury brought her education to a halt, O’Neill said.

“She always wanted to be a veterinarian, and since this has happened, it’s been very hard for her to be around large animals,” O’Neill said.

Nelsen is currently resting at home after another surgery to help her leg recover.

But accidents in the world of agriculture are just a part of the job, said one dairy science junior who asked to remain anonymous because of how the lawsuit has affected the college.

“It’s an unfortunate situation all the way around,” the student said. “Nobody likes to have it, but it’s agriculture. Accidents happen all the time in agriculture.”

The student said Cal Poly’s agriculture facilities are aging and in need of improvement, but finances make it hard.

“With budget cuts, we’re doing the best we can with what we have,” the student said.

Stacia Momburg, Cal Poly public affairs team leader, said school officials could not comment because the school has yet to be served with the papers. Momburg said the school also does not comment on pending litigation.

Animal science professor Mike Hall, who is in charge of the Bull Test Unit, said the artificial insemination class (AI), known as an “enterprise project,” is part of Cal Poly’s Learn By Doing curriculum. The animal science department produces students with experience in the field by offering them enterprise project instead of just lectures.

“We have a very high acceptance rate of our animal science students getting accepted to veterinarian school, and the reason for that is our enterprise projects,” Hall said.

The artificial insemination enterprise project is essential in helping students learn the process of breeding cows, Hall said.

“AI is not something you can learn out of a textbook,” Hall said. “You have to practice, and that’s what Nicole was doing — she was practicing.”

Safety is always a concern during this practice, Hall said. The class meets once a week for lectures that cover what the students will do with the animals and animal safety.

When students are working with the animals, Hall said he ensures they don’t “spook” the cows.

“We try to do everything to keep the animals as calm as possible,” Hall said.

Nelsen’s injury is the first of its kind in the 37 years that Hall has worked in the Bull Test Unit area, he said. At the same time, students work with large animals that could potentially be dangerous.

“We work in a very high-risk type of area,” Hall said.