Animal rights group PETA says that they will put up a billboard to memorialize cattle killed when a semi truck overturned on an exit ramp in Indiana last week.
Trucker Says Rollover Crash Happened Because He Was Cut Off By Car
The crash occurred around 4:20 a.m. on July 11 in Muncie, Indiana. Sixty-nine year old Kentucky-based truck driver Chester Smith was northbound on I-69 when he says a passenger vehicle suddenly changed lanes in front of him. Smith told police that the move forced him onto an exit ramp to avoid a collision. The truck rolled as a result of the unplanned exit.
Cattle killed in crash in Indiana. Truck driven by Chester Smith, of Stanton. He & passenger were not hurt. Photo from The Star Press. pic.twitter.com/nBrY78s9qG
— ABC 36 News (@ABC36News) July 11, 2017
Smith and his grandson, who was in the sleeper berth at the time of the crash, were not seriously injured.
Of the 38 cows in the truck, around 10 died as a result of the crash, according to the Muncie Star Press. The animals were trapped for hours in the wrecked trailer and had to be extracted.
Billboard To Remind Drivers About “Ill-Fated Animals On Transport Trucks”
PETA says that they will erect a billboard at the crash site in remembrance of the animals who died or were seriously wounded in the rollover. The billboard will feature the image of a single cow with the text “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan.”
According to PETA Vice President Tracy Reiman, “This overturned truck killed nearly 20 gentle cows, and the ones who survived are most likely back on their way to the slaughterhouse. PETA’s billboard will let travelers know that the best way to prevent such tragedies is to keep animals off the road in the first place by going vegan.”