Truck Carrying 44 Dairy Cows Crashes, Rolls Over Outside Sandy Hook, Killing 14 Animals

A tractor-trailer carrying 44 dairy cows crashed on a Connecticut highway early Thursday, fire officials said. 

The Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company said in a Facebook post that the truck crashed on Interstate 84 in Newton at around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. 

The driver was not injured, but eight cows died upon impact and another six had to be euthanized due to the extent of their injuries, a spokesperson for the state Department of Agriculture told CTPost.

“The decision to euthanize was made in coordination with the owner based upon the circumstances present and to prevent further suffering of the animals," said Department of Agriculture spokesperson Rebecca Eddy.

The remaining 40 cows were moved onto a new trailer and taken to a facility for further evaluation, Eddy said. 

A photo posted to Facebook by the fire department showed the truck flipped over on its side on the road, with fire officials sprawled around it and plumes of smoke radiating from the center. 

The truck had been transporting the cows from Maine to Ohio, Eddy said. 

It’s unclear why the truck crashed, and police are investigating. But Sandy Hook Fire Chief Anthony Capazelle said it was foggy at the time of the crash and the driver, who was in the right lane, didn’t realize he had entered an exit ramp until the accident, according to ABC affiliate WTNH.

Brian Farrell, general manager for Modzelewski’s Auto and Truck Center, which responded to the crash, characterized the incident to WTNH as a “unique situation.” He said his team trains for crashes all the time but the cows complicated the response. 

“There were some challenges with the size of the cows, first of all, the cattle, and just the predicament they were in,” Farrell said.

He was scared the cows would run off onto the highway. 

“We were able to go grab some of the temporary fencing and things we do have at our farm, brought it to the scene, and we kind of made a corral with some trucks and fencing and kind of guided them into the truck,” Farrell said.

State police closed off the westbound side of the highway for hours after the incident and issued the driver an infraction for failure to maintain a line, WTNH reported.