Cattle truck crashes east of Madras; 14 cattle killed

A truck hauling 84 head of cattle overturned on Highway 26 east of Madras Monday afternoon, and while a driver and passenger were uninjured, authorities said more than a dozen of the animals did not survive.

The crash was reported around 2:45 p.m. on Highway 26 near milepost 7, about seven miles east of Madras, Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies said.

The truck was heading east when the trailer went off the shoulder of the highway and overturned, sliding on its side for about 150 feet.

Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 officials said the truck’s two human occupants were unhurt, but heavy extrication equipment was needed to remove the cattle from the overturned trailer. As of late afternoon, 14 of the cattle were reported to have died.

Fire crews were on scene for more than two hours and one lane of the highway was shut during the operation.