Approximately 70 cows were on the loose in Atlanta Monday morning after the semi truck hauling them overturned.
The accident happened on October 1st at around 3:30 a.m. in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to WIS 10 TV News, the semi truck hauling cattle was taking the eastbound Interstate 285 ramp to Interstate 75 north when it overturned, allowing the cows to escape the trailer.
⚠️#BREAKINGNEWS Cobb County: Crews had a tough time corralling this cow on the loose I-75nb at Cumberland Blvd! @wsbradio #skycopter @wsbtv #captncam #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/V1qmwIWFNx
— Mark McKay (@mckayWSB) October 1, 2018
Several cows were killed and the truck driver was unhurt in the accident, but a motorist had to be taken to a hospital after crashing into one of the estimated 89 cows left loose on the interstate.
Getting the cows into the cattle trailer safely. pic.twitter.com/EiIEWK7xrn
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) October 1, 2018
Volunteer cowboys were able to help round up the escaped cows, but as of 10:00 a.m., around 70 were still roaming free.
Another up close look at the overturned tractor trailer that released an estimated 89 cows onto the interstate. We’re #WorkingForYou to get this crash cleared, but this will take a while. pic.twitter.com/QUcGndg8qe
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) October 1, 2018
Emergency crews had to saw the back off of the trailer in order to rescue the remaining cows and right the overturned trailer.
GRIDLOCK ALERT: Cobb Co.: Cow/Truck Crash Clean Up Continues; I-285/eb (inner loop) ramp to I-75/nb; still blocked; there is no ETC; please Avoid; https://t.co/RuPa64SzPC; #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/pSz7vsWAvJ
— Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) October 1, 2018
The exact reason for the crash is not clear and no citations have been issued.
The incident backed up traffic for hours but all lanes were reopened at around 10:00 a.m.