At 11:15 p.m., Sunday night, a truck and trailer carrying 4 elephants was forced out of its lane on Interstate 10 in Mississippi when another vehicle tried getting into the truck’s lane, causing the circus truck to drive off of the road and into the trees.
The truck was headed from Mobile and was heading to Hammond, La when it crashed at the 8 mile-marker in Hancock County. The truck’s front axle broke, but fortunately, the truck’s driver Terence Crowley of Hugo, Okla. and the 4 elephants were unharmed, the Sun Herald reported.
“The truck and the trailer remained upright,” Firefighter Kurt Necaise told the Sun Herald. “It took us a couple of hours to clear the scene.
The truck and elephants belong to the Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars.
According to the Sun Herald, circus officials sent help to the scene to unload the elephants.
“Authorities said three of the elephants were put back on the trailer and a tow truck drove the trailer to a welcome center near the Louisiana state line, where another driver picked up the trailer. One of the elephants was angry and uncooperative, and was transported separately, authorities said,” the Sun Herald reported.
First responders took pictures of the scene. One picture shows the elephants walking single file, trunk to tail.
According to the Associated Press, on Monday, the elephants were playful and calm.
The elephants are reportedly valued at $1.5 million each.