There were over 120 cattle in a tractor-trailer involved in a crash with a car on a highway in Kansas City, Missouri, over the weekend. The collision set off a chain of events that left animals scattered throughout the city's downtown area.
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The vehicle then fell off the overpass and onto another car below. Dozens of animals escaped, and some walked through town in the early morning hours.
The Crash Closed the Highway
As The New York Times reports, the crash took place on the westbound I-70 curve over southbound I-35 around 3 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. Officers said the lower highway remained closed through the early afternoon.
The drivers of both the car and tractor-trailer were in stable condition, according to Michael Hopkins, a battalion chief with the Kansas City Fire Department.
The crash tore open the multilevel trailer, killing 45 to 60 cattle instantly. Police said others were trapped.
The surviving animals then escaped onto the highway and wandered into nearby neighborhoods.
"We've got like 100 head of cattle just roaming around downtown right now," one first responder said over emergency radio traffic captured by Broadcastify and reported by KMBC.
"Sorry, there are what??" another responded.
"Be aware for roaming cattle downtown," another first responder said.
Handlers Collected the Cattle on Horseback
Some cattle caused other crashes, while others were reported as far as across the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas.
"We've had reports from I-70 and Van Brunt to Main and Pershing to the Downtown Airport at 169, and KCK's got a couple reports of a few cattle in that area, so they are widespread," said Hopkins to KSN-TV. "I guess after the accident they just got on the move, so yeah, they're all over the place."
Officers called livestock handlers to help retrieve the missing cattle, with some riding on horseback. With their help and the use of drones, they found all the livestock by early afternoon.
One responder said, "I got two cattle right under my drone here."
