Cattle truck plunges off Kansas City I-70 overpass onto a car: 45 to 60 cattle killed, survivors roam downtown

A cattle hauler fell from a downtown Kansas City, Missouri, overpass onto a car early Sunday, scattering its load across the street, closing some roads and leaving crews to hunt down the animals that lived through the crash, according to The Trucker on Oct. 19, reporting Associated Press coverage.

The accident occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, and the roundup of surviving cattle continued into the early afternoon. The driver of the truck and the driver of the vehicle the truck landed on sustained minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals.

Kansas City Police Sgt. Phil DiMartino said that between 45 and 60 of the 120 to 130 cattle carried by the truck were killed when the tractor-trailer overturned and fell from the westbound Interstate 70 curve over southbound Interstate 35. Dozens of other cows fled the crash scene, resulting in other crashes and more calls to the police from the public, he said.

Some of the cattle had walked several miles before they were captured, said Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, who called it a pretty nasty accident. Immediately after the accident, city authorities launched drones to track the cattle before a private company working together with the trucking company arrived with workers on horseback to round up the cattle. Getting the animals who did not survive out was the harder job, Hopkins added.

By Sunday afternoon, DiMartino said in an updated press release that it is believed all cows have now been accounted for. The accident occurred on a day when the Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Los Angeles Chargers in a National Football League game; authorities did not anticipate major disruptions in game traffic because of the wide publicity the accident had received.

Drivers running the downtown Kansas City loop should check Missouri traffic reports for any remaining cleanup restrictions around the I-70 and I-35 junction.