2 Cows Dead, 3 Others Hurt After Livestock Truck Overturns on I-65 During Rush Hour

Two cows died and three more were injured when a livestock truck hauling over 100 cows overturned on I-65 in Northwest Indiana on Friday morning.

According to Indiana State Police, the truck carrying 127 cows rolled over on northbound I-65 at the westbound I-80/94 interchange shortly after 8 a.m., during peak rush hour.

“A cow died as a result of the crash. Another cow had to be put down by a local veterinarian. “You had to be euthanized due to its injuries,” stated Sgt. Glenn Fifield of the Indiana State Police.

According to police, speed played a role in the disaster, and this was not the first time a livestock truck overturned in the area.

“To be clear, this is not our first rodeo. We’ve had numerous of these types of crashes. We’ve had trucks transporting pigs and cows. Recently, a cow truck overturned, resulting in a large number of deceased cattle.” Fifield explained. “Overall, this was a reasonably good outcome, given that we had 127 cattle heads. They’re crammed inside that truck fairly tight. I believe it could have been much worse for these cows.

The cattle were being transported to an unknown destination from Fair Oaks Farm in Newton County, about 30 miles from the disaster site. They were primarily trapped inside the wrecked trailer and corralled into a makeshift cage before being transferred to another truck.

“They had to offload all the cattle from the damaged trailer, corral them, and get them onto another trailer, get them out of there,” Fifield told me.

EJ Farms, a nearby dairy farm in Crown Point, Indiana, claimed it deployed trucks and trailers to help the cattle get to safety.

“I suppose it’s part of the farming culture, you know? “When something like this happens, other farmers step in,” Fifield explained.

Fair Oaks Farm issued a statement that read in part, “Some of the calves in this trailer are from the farm we tour. To our knowledge, three calves were harmed; two of them did not survive, and the remaining 120+ calves are healthy. “The injured calves are receiving treatment.”

The semi’s driver was not wounded, according to Gary police.

State police stated a day like this requires a lot of patience, not just from state troopers but also from drivers passing through the area.

The incident created hours of traffic delays, but all I-65 lanes were reopened by 3:15 p.m. Drivers may experience some residual delays.

Reference: 2 cows killed, 3 others injured after cattle truck rolls over on I-65 in Northwest Indiana

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