Three cows were killed and dozens others were trapped in a tractor-trailer crash that blocked a busy DeKalb County interchange for hours Friday morning.
The incident on the ramp from I-285 South to I-20 East comes weeks after another tipped cattle hauler brought traffic to a halt on I-75 in Cobb County.
Dekalb Co.: Overturned Tractor Trailer Crash Cleared: I-285/sb (inner loop) ramp to I-20; ramp is now back open; delays on I-20 and I-285 remain; https://t.co/kTgeaYu0Zi; #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/mqdwz7Vxjw
— Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) June 8, 2018
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.
Video Update: 36-cows total, 3-died on overturned tractor-trailer on I-285 ramp in #DeKalb - https://t.co/47ZOd82IRj pic.twitter.com/m9oQXp3tpc
— John Spink (@johnjspink) June 8, 2018
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.
Video Update: Truck right-sided after removing 36-cows on overturned tractor-trailer on I-285. 11AM open estimate - https://t.co/47ZOd82IRj #DeKalb pic.twitter.com/rHXuJE3C7g
— John Spink (@johnjspink) June 8, 2018
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
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.
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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.
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