Beef Truck Strikes Cow, Burns, Shuts Hwy. 97

A truck hauling frozen beef struck and killed a cow on Highway 97 north of Madras Tuesday night, triggering a fiery crash that caused no injuries but destroyed the rig, damaged the trailer, sideswiped another truck and shut the road for four hours, Oregon State Police reported.

A commercial truck heading south on the highway struck the cow around 9 p.m., about 15 miles north of Madras, said OSP Trooper Scott Sogge.

The collision caused the driver to lose control, swerving into the northbound lane, where it sideswiped a northbound semitruck and trailer, Sogge said.

The initial impact with the cow caused damage that resulted in the truck’s rig catching fire and eventually burning to the ground, the trooper said. Its trailer, loaded with frozen beef, also received some fire damage, Sogge said.

The northbound truck and trailer sustained minor damage, the trooper added.

The drivers were unhurt, Sogge said.

ODOT remained on scene until early Wednesday morning to help coordinate removal of the vehicles, Sogge said. The frozen beef was unloaded into another trailer.