LEWISTON, Maine — A driver has been cited after three cows were injured when they fell from an unsecured cattle hauler during a crash in Maine, state police said.
One cow landed in the passing lane and suffered a broken leg, while two others sustained road rash and were located on the shoulder of the road, state police said. A fourth cow ran out of the trailer and into the woods nearby.
The driver, Dustin Bubar, 39, of Stetson, Maine, was cited for unsecured load on a vehicle.
At approximately 11:30 a.m. Monday, troopers responded to a single vehicle crash at Exit 79 on the Turnpike in Lewiston involving a pickup truck hauling a cattle trailer, state police said Tuesday.
The driver was traveling southbound when the incident happened.
An initial investigation found that the rear doors of the cattle hauler were not properly secured, causing them to unlatch, state police said.
As a result, the cattle inside the trailer shifted, leading to three animals falling from the back of the trailer onto the roadway and one cow running out of the vehicle.
Troopers secured one of the cows by tying it to the back of his cruiser, “using a buddy system to help calm the other animals and prevent further movement,” state police said.
Authorities temporarily shut down one lane as Bubar worked to reload the animals into the trailer.
Animal Control Officers from the Lewiston Police Department assisted on scene, along with passersby who stopped to help.
The crash remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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