Cattle injured and killed in semi crash

More than 30 cattle were wandering the ditches, median and roadway of Interstate 94 just east of Jamestown following a Sunday morning semi crash, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

The crash happened at 5:39 a.m. just east of the Bloom exit on I-94.

Scott Bunkers, 30, Three Forks, Mont., was hauling 39 head of cattle from Montana to Minnesota.

He was driving a 1997 Kenworth with a loaded cattle trailer eastbound when he left the roadway and entered the median. He corrected the vehicle but it tipped and came to a rest in the median.

Eight of the 39 cattle were killed in the crash or euthanized due to injuries sustained as determined by the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association and Southwood Veterinary Clinic of Jamestown, the patrol said.

The surviving cattle then wandered the area and were corralled with the help of the patrol, the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office, Jamestown Police Department, Jamestown Fire Department and the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association.

Several local residents also came together with a tractor, pickup trucks and personal trailers to assist as well as load and haul the cattle to a temporary location.

Eddie White Trucking of Billings, Mont., will make arrangements to reclaim the cattle which are currently being stored in Jamestown, the patrol said.

Bunkers was wearing a seat belt and no injuries were reported.

Charges are pending investigation by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

Tags: local news, news, crash, cattle