Tractor-trailer crash kills 3 cows, blocks I-285 ramp for hours

According to DeKalb fire Capt. Dion Bentley, the tractor-trailer was attempting the navigate the curve of the ramp just after 5 a.m. when it overturned.

The ramp is historically troublesome for metro Atlanta traffic.

“It’s a tough turn around here, heading eastbound on I-20,” Bentley said.

The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to officials.

Thirty-six cows headed for Augusta were trapped inside the trailer from the time the truck flipped over until 8:45 a.m., when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources arrived to safely remove the cattle.

Three of the cows did not make it, Bentley said. He described the rescue of the surviving cows as stressful. There was a lot of bent metal, prompting crews to use a saw as a last resort to avoid further distressing the animals.

“They are talking to them like they're people. They are trying to calm their fears and help to remove them from the scene,” Bentley said of the effort. “I can’t stress (enough) how caring these men and women are in trying to remove them as safely as possible.”

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Just three weeks ago, another truck spilled its bovine cargo, shutting down I-75 North for hours and killing 10 cows.

RELATED: 10 cows killed in crash that closed I-75 for hours

MORE: PETA plans billboard to honor 10 cows killed in I-75 crash

PHOTOS: Weird things that have snarled Atlanta

Normal traffic on the I-285 interchange resumed just after 11 a.m., DeKalb police spokeswoman Shiera Campbell said.

“The remaining cattle are en route to Augusta,” she said.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.