KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — All cattle have been accounted for following Sunday morning’s chaotic scene on Interstate 29 near Admiral Boulevard in downtown Kansas City, where a semi-truck carrying 120 head of cattle overturned in a two-vehicle crash around 3 a.m., sending cows scattering across the metro as far as Kansas City, Kansas — before a combination of police, professional wranglers, and neighborhood volunteers brought them all in by just before 1 p.m.
Kansas City Police confirmed all cattle were accounted for just before 1 p.m. Sunday. The highway near I-29 and 71 Highway remained closed as cleanup continued.
What Happened
Kansas City Fire Department said the crash involved two vehicles. The semi-truck hauling more than 120 head of cattle overturned, and one person from each vehicle was taken to the hospital. As of mid-morning both were reported in stable condition.
Some of the cattle did not survive the crash. Some remained in the trailer. But many scattered widely — with KCFD Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins reporting sightings from I-70 and Van Brunt all the way to Pershing and Main near Crown Center, to the Downtown Airport at 169, and into Kansas City, Kansas. A diesel spill on the highway also required cleanup crews.
“We’ve had reports as far as Pershing and Main, and reports that KCK’s had a couple calls of cattle,” Hopkins said.
The Roundup
KCPD deployed drones and thermal imaging to track the animals and called in wrangling resources to help. But some of the most memorable moments of the roundup happened in backyards.
KSHB crews watched as five cows were corralled from a yard near 13th and Brooklyn Avenue. The homeowner was woken up by police asking for help blocking the cows from escaping. “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,” he said.
Alongside the professional wranglers, neighborhood residents stepped in to help corral the animals. One of them was a young girl named August, who was relieved to see the cows on her street safe and sound.
“We were looking for them, and then we came over here, and the cow was magically saved,” August said.
Residents who spotted loose cattle were asked not to approach them and to call the KCPD non-emergency line at 816-234-5111 or dial 311.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
