July 22nd, 2010 | 
Author: ALGOMA TOWNSHIP, MI – A Michigan highway was shut down for several hours Wednesday, July 21, when a semi trailer truck crashed and lost its cargo of about two dozen cows. The truck accident occurred on U.S. Highway 131 in Algoma Township, in northeast Kent County. The accident area is about 9 miles north of Grand Rapids in the far west central section of the state about 85 miles northwest of Lansing, MI and about 137 miles north of South Bend, Indiana.
Many of the cows were roaming up and down the highway by the time Michigan State Police and emergency workers responded to the incident site.
At around 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning a 42 year old truck driver from Harrison, MI was driving a semi tractor truck south on U.S. Highway 131 in Kent County, MI. The trailer of the truck was filled with 26 cows.
As the semi trailer truck moved through Algoma Township the driver swerved and lost control of his 18 wheeler. According to Michigan State Police, they believe the truck driver was trying to avoid hitting a deer or several deer that were in the roadway.
The out of control semi truck crashed into a guardrail at the side of the highway and apparently slid along the rail for quite a distance before the tractor trailer went off the highway and overturned alongside US 131. No other vehicles or persons were involved in the truck accident.
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The impact of the truck accident broke open the trailer of the rig and the cows began to escape from the cattle hauler. Many of the cows were roaming up and down the highway by the time Michigan State Police and emergency workers responded to the incident site.
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The driver suffered some minor head injuries but was able to remain at the scene of the truck accident and give information to the authorities.
MSP found it necessary to close down both the southbound and northbound lanes of US 131. They diverted Wednesday morning commuter traffic off the highway at 14 Mile Road as drivers were having potentially dangerous encounters with the animals. According to an MSP officer this was done to avoid the serious consequences when a car or truck hits an animal such as a cow or a deer. One woman with two children in her vehicle flipped her car when she veered to miss a stray cow. Fortunately she and the children suffered only minor injuries.
The traffic lanes would spend several hours trying to recapture all the cows and get them off the highway. When they were finished four cows had been injured and had to be put down and five cows remained on the loose. Authorities believe the missing cows were far away from the highway. MSP said that drivers on US 131 and 14 Mile Road should remain alert for the five missing cattle and to let authorities know if they are sighted.
MSP has not charged or cited the driver at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.
For more information about Michigan trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, contact a nationwide truck accident attorney at Gordon, Elias & Seely, LLP for expert advice. For a free initial consultation, talk to a MI truck accident lawyer at 800.773.6770.
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