12 cows dead after semi rolls on central Alberta highway

A dozen cows are dead after a semi hauling them on Alberta’s QEII rolled on Thursday afternoon.

Innisfail RCMP and Innisfail Fire and Rescue attended the scene just after 12 p.m., where a loaded cattle truck was driving westbound on the Highway 590 overpass and failed to navigate the turn onto the highway.

The semi rolled onto its side, resulting in 75 cows being trapped inside the trailer.

The driver was taken to a hospital in Innisfail with minor injuries.

Police, fire, and the Red Deer County Livestock Response Unit worked with the Innisfail Auction Mart to free the cows and safely move them to other trailers for transport.

RCMP say local veterinarians were called to help with the welfare of the animals.

The investigation into the circumstances of the collision continues.

Last month, 17 cows died when the semi they were being hauled in crashed on a highway ramp in Calgary.

The driver in that case has been issued a traffic summons, which means they must appear in court and can’t simply pay a typical speeding ticket fine.