Cows Still On The Loose After Cattle Truck Rolls Over On I-70
By Joel Hillan
GEORGETOWN, Colo. (CBS4) - A semi hauling cattle rolled over on Interstate 70 near Georgetown just after 9 a.m. Tuesday. Some of the cattle were killed, some injured and others remained on the loose Tuesday night.
The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of the highway, and officials were forced to shut down lanes of traffic in the area.
Colorado State Patrol told CBS4 the driver is okay, but some of the cattle died in the crash. Others were injured and were taken to the Summit County Fairgrounds where veterinarians examined the animals.
Video from the Colorado Department of Transportation's traffic camera near the scene showed cows exiting the semi and moving into a grassy area on the side of the road.
"This herd of cattle comes down the road, right in the middle… I was shocked," said witness Ted Brown.
He pulled over to watch the cowboys on horseback try to round up the cows that had escaped after the crash.
"There were about 20 head of cattle that seemed to have been glad to be free," said Brown.
Officials had to close a portion of westbound I-70 so some of the cattle could be wrangled. Cowboys on horseback worked to capture those cattle.
Cattle wranglers and state troopers warn drivers traveling along that stretch of I-70 near Georgetown to be on alert for the cattle still on the loose. More roundup attempts have been planned for Wednesday.
At 10 a.m. eastbound traffic was getting by using the far left lane. The right lanes remained blocked by the rolled semi until the interstate opened a few hours later.
State troopers said the driver lost his brakes. He was traveling to Lamar.
Joel Hillan is CBS4's Traffic Specialist and is featured on the CBS4 Morning News. Follow Joel on Twitter @joelhillan.
