LEWISTON, Maine — Maine State Police are investigating a crash on I-95 in Lewiston Monday involving a pickup truck hauling a trailer full of cows.
The driver was traveling south near Exit 79 at around 11:30 a.m. when the cows inside the trailer shifted, according to a press release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
"The initial investigation indicates that the rear doors of the cattle hauler were not properly secured, causing them to unlatch," Moss explained. When the cows shifted, three animals fell from the back of the trailer and into the road. One cow also ran out of the trailer once it came to a stop.
One of the cows that fell out of the trailer landed in the passing lane on the highway and suffered a broken leg, Moss said. The two other cows had road rash and were located on the shoulder of the road. The fourth cow that ran out of the trailer was found in woods nearby.
"Troopers secured one of the cows by tying it to the back of his cruiser, using a buddy system to help calm the other animals and prevent further movement," Moss wrote in the press release.
One lane of the highway was temporarily closed as the driver, 39-year-old Dustin Bubar of Stetson, reloaded the cows into the trailer, according to Moss. Bubar was cited for unsecured load on a vehicle.
Animal control officers and the Lewiston Police Department responded to the scene, Moss said. A passerby also stopped to help.
Two of the injured cows are expected to be euthanized due to their injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.