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Fleeing calves shut down I-35
Firefighters and police officers become ranchers after a cattle truck crashes and overturns.

By ABBY SIMONS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

August 23, 2006


An accident that involved a truck with 128 young cows triggered a Tuesday morning roundup for West Des Moines firefighters, police officers and volunteer ranchers on Interstate Highway 35.

The 7 a.m. wreck, on a railroad overpass just south of the Grand Avenue on-ramp, backed up traffic for more than three hours as 300-pound calves were chased, herded and corralled.

West Des Moines' deputy fire chief, Jack Benge, said the truck driver, Jared Dudley, 30, of Corydon, lost control of the rig when he merged onto the interstate. The trailer tipped onto its side and the livestock got loose.

Dudley was unhurt. He declined comment on the accident.

Cheryl Miller of Boone was behind Dudley in her sport-utility vehicle when the truck tipped. She called 911.

"He slid over, and you know the rest of the story," she said. "He got out before I did, and we tried to stop the cattle from getting out."

Miller, a truck-driving instructor, said Dudley was not speeding or negligent.

"He did everything he could, had the bridge not been there, he would have saved it," she said. "He did what he had to do to stop that truck from going over the bridge and losing even more."

Firefighter Bill McKibben, who raises cattle, was among the first to arrive. He called his father, who brought corral fencing. Jeff Ewing, who owns the cattle, called for extra trucks.

Two severely injured cattle had to be shot by West Des Moines police. Five others were dead in the damaged trailer, Benge said. Three were taken to a slaughterhouse with broken legs.

Four calves escaped. A pair headed north; two more ran west toward the city. They were later rounded up, Ewing said.

He said the cattle, which are insured, are worth about $80,000.

When the roundup was over, the interstate was a muddy, manured mess. Iowa Department of Transportation officials decided against a good rinse and used sand instead.

"If you've ever been to the Iowa State Fair after they hose down the cattle areas, it's slick. This would be the same way," Benge said. "This bridge has seen quite a few wrecks, but this is the first I've seen with cattle."