14 cows die after the truck carrying them crashes on a Connecticut highway

Newtown, Connecticut — A truck carrying 44 dairy cows crashed on a highway in Connecticut early Thursday morning, killing eight of them on impact and forcing six others to be sacrificed due to their injuries, authorities reported.

Police and firefighters responded to the crash site on the Interstate 84 exit ramp in Newtown around 3:30 a.m. and found the truck on its side, on the driver’s side. The truck driver was not seriously injured, firefighters said.

Authorities summoned a state veterinarian, who determined that another six cows had to be euthanized. The patrol officers killed them at the scene, police said.

The other 30 cows were fine after being taken in another truck to a veterinarian for evaluation, the state Department of Agriculture said.

It was not known what caused the crash. State police were investigating.

The truck was carrying the cows from Maine to Ohio, state agriculture officials said. There is a rest stop, with a cafe and a restaurant, near that exit, which has a ramp with a sharp curve.

Police closed that stretch of road for several hours.