Semi-Truck Plunges Off Kansas City Overpass, Dozens of Cattle Killed and Survivors Roam Downtown Streets

A semi-truck carrying more than 120 cattle plunged off a highway overpass in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, early Sunday morning, killing dozens of animals and sending survivors wandering through city streets and neighborhoods.

The crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m. when the tractor-trailer overturned and fell from the westbound Interstate 70 curve onto southbound Interstate 35, landing on a car below.

Kansas City Police Sgt. Phil DiMartino said between 45 and 60 of the 120 to 130 cattle on board were killed in the accident.

The truck driver and the driver of the vehicle it landed on sustained minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals.

“It was a pretty nasty accident,” said Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

Dozens of surviving cattle fled the crash scene, triggering secondary crashes and numerous calls to police from the public.

Reports of loose cows came from as far as Pershing and Main to the Downtown Airport, with some reaching Kansas City, Kansas. “I guess after the accident they just got on the move, so yeah, they’re all over the place,” Hopkins said . Some cattle walked several miles before being captured.

City authorities launched drones with thermal imaging to track the animals before a private company working with the trucking company arrived with workers on horseback to round them up.

Neighborhood residents also joined the effort, including a homeowner near 13th and Brooklyn Avenue who woke to police asking for help blocking cows from escaping his yard.

“I’m thinking I better go and let my brothers know I’m going to probably not be coming into church on time because I got cows in my backyard,” the neighbor told KSHB.

By Sunday afternoon, police said all cattle had been accounted for. “It is believed all cows have now been accounted for,” DiMartino said in an updated press release.

Hopkins noted that recovering the animals that did not survive proved more difficult. “More difficult has been getting the animals who did not survive,” he said . The crash also spilled diesel onto the highway, requiring cleanup crews.

The accident occurred on the same day the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in an NFL game, though authorities did not anticipate major traffic disruptions due to widespread publicity about the crash. The east side of the downtown loop was closed for hours while authorities cleared the scene.