Semi falls from KC overpass, scattering up to 130 cattle across downtown on Chiefs game day
Between 45 and 60 animals died when the trailer hit the interstate below; drones and on-horseback wranglers spent hours rounding up survivors that wandered miles from the crash site.
Just before 3 a.m. Sunday, a semitractor-trailer hauling between 120 and 130 cattle overturned on the westbound I-70 curve near Admiral Boulevard in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and plunged onto southbound I-35 below — landing on a car and breaking open the trailer, sending dozens of traumatized animals running through city streets in the dark.
Kansas City Police Sgt. Phil DiMartino said between 45 and 60 of the cattle were killed in the crash. The truck driver and the driver of the vehicle the semi landed on both sustained injuries and were taken to local hospitals; by Sunday afternoon, both were listed in stable condition, according to KCTV5.
The surviving animals scattered widely — with sightings reported from Pershing and Main all the way into Kansas City, Kansas, according to KCTV5. Some had walked several miles before being captured, Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins said. The runaways caused additional crashes and generated a wave of calls to police from the public, DiMartino said.
It’s a very dangerous situation when we have any sort of loose livestock or animals in a metropolitan area. They’re big animals. A lot of them have been injured. They’ve been through a very traumatic experience, and so they’re roaming free.— Michael Hopkins, Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief
City crews are not equipped to herd cattle. Hopkins said neither the fire nor police departments have resources for it. Almost immediately after the crash, authorities launched drones to track the animals from the air. The trucking company then contracted an emergency response team that brought portable pens and workers on horseback — described by one neighbor as 'literal cowboys' — to carry out the roundup.
Niarobia Tann, who told KCTV5 she has lived on her block for about 50 years, came home to find five cows resting in her neighbor's backyard before crews moved in. She said she had never seen anything like it.
It was a pretty nasty accident.— Michael Hopkins, Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief
The crash landed on one of the busiest days in the Kansas City calendar: the Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Los Angeles Chargers that afternoon, drawing out-of-town drivers into the downtown area. Hopkins noted the timing raised the danger level. Authorities said major disruptions to game traffic were not anticipated, in part because the accident had received wide publicity and drivers were warned.
The last thing you expect to see in the downtown area is a cow.— Michael Hopkins, Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief
By Sunday afternoon, DiMartino issued an updated statement saying all surviving cattle were believed accounted for. Hopkins said crews were wrapping up the crash scene and removing the semi. The east side of the downtown loop, closed for hours, was expected to reopen by Sunday evening, with normal conditions anticipated by Monday morning rush hour, according to KCTV5.
More difficult has been getting the animals who did not survive.— Michael Hopkins, Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief
Why it matters — A single highway crash turned downtown Kansas City into an improvised cattle range for most of a Sunday, exposing how unprepared urban emergency services are for large-livestock incidents — and how quickly loose animals can multiply danger on city streets.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Some cattle were reported as far as Kansas City, Kansas — several miles from the crash site.
Sources differ on Severity of injuries to the two drivers: Minor injuries (cbsnews.com) vs Stable condition (kctv5.com)
Reported by cbsnews.com, newsday.com, kctv5.com, fox4kc.com
