A police officer was injured by a cow freed during a cattle hauler fire in Idaho on Sunday.
The incident occurred on December 29th along southbound Interstate 15 near Shelley, Idaho at about 1:40 p.m.
According to the Idaho State Journal, the sheriff’s deputy responded to the scene of a semi truck hauling cattle that had caught fire near the Shelley exit on I-15. When the officer arrived, the trucker had already unloaded the cattle from the trailer as a precaution and other first responders were attempting to corral them.
One cow then ran into the northbound lanes of I-15, where the officer tried to catch it, but the cow charged him instead, knocking him to the ground. The cow then continued to attack the officer as he was on the ground, so the officer shot the animal in self defense.
The officer was transported to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released the same day. Authorities say that the cow had been injured in the truck fire, which may have led to its aggressive behavior.
I-15 south was completely closed for several hours as officials worked to corral the remaining cows, load them onto another trailer, and clear the wreckage.
The initial cattle trailer was seriously damaged in the fire, which appeared to have started near the wheels. The loose cows did not cause any crashes, and the only cow killed in the incident was the animal shot by the officer.
The incident is still under investigation.