Cows on 285: The great cattle round-up that took all day

Cows on 285

Around 4 p.m. today Georgia DOT noted what appeared to be one of the last of the cows rambling around I-285 and I-75 that literally stopped traffic for a time in one of metro Atlanta’s busiest interchanges.

Traffic in the area was affected all day after a tractor-trailer truck carrying dozens of cows overturned on a ramp from I-285 east to I-75 north after 3 a.m.

The above Georgia 511 camera photo was taken near Northside Drive on the eastbound side of 285, with the possibility that there was one other cow still at-large.

Shortly after that, police in Sandy Springs—were many of the loose cows had roamed—reported that “we have captured the rogue cow.”

After the accident, many cows spilled out onto the roadway and nearby areas, and around a dozen cows reportedly were killed by oncoming vehicles.

More than 70 cows were ultimately retrieved by law enforcement. Cobb Fire crews, assisting Georgia DOT, worked with saws to cut open the cattle truck to free the remaining cows inside.

Traffic on I-285 was shut down for a time before daybreak, but the round-up—as well as the clean-up from the aftermath of the accident—lasted into the afternoon rush hour.

The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with injuries.

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