December 10, 2024 |
Photo – Courtesy of Lori Freytag
A blown tire on Interstate 80 over the weekend resulted in the total loss of a semi-truck carrying cattle.
Around 12:04pm on Saturday, December 7th, Wyoming Highway Patrol Troopers responded to a call about an overturned cattle hauler at milepost 238 on Interstate 80, roughly three miles east of Walcott Junction.
In a statement provided to Bigfoot99, Highway Patrol Trooper Ryan Gerdes wrote that officers found a flipped semi-truck in the median of the highway. An investigation revealed that the truck had rolled at least once, sustaining heavy damage to the front end and top. The cattle trailer also separated and rolled. Several of the livestock were injured or killed in the incident.
Troopers determined that the front steer tire of the truck failed, causing the driver, 36-year-old Blake Mitchell from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to lose control of his vehicle. Mitchell sustained minor injuries and received a citation for not wearing a seat belt.
Interstate 80 remained open during the investigation and subsequent cleanup. A truck from the nearby Peterson Ranch responded with a cattle trailer to remove the remaining livestock from the scene.
Trooper Gerdes wrote that the Wyoming Highway Patrol gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Carbon County EMS and Fire, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyoming Brand Inspectors. Additionally, Trooper Gerdes thanked the Peterson Ranch for their help moving the cattle.
