Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Thursday, March 28, 2024

I-75 drivers encounter crash, livestock near Gainesville

<p>A semitruck carrying cattle ran off the road on Interstate 75 in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. The crashed caused northbound and southbound traffic to slow down while officials gathered escaped cows. One person was treated for injuries and taken to Shands at UF. By 5 p.m., traffic reopened for all lanes.</p>

A semitruck carrying cattle ran off the road on Interstate 75 in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. The crashed caused northbound and southbound traffic to slow down while officials gathered escaped cows. One person was treated for injuries and taken to Shands at UF. By 5 p.m., traffic reopened for all lanes.

A semitruck transporting cattle crashed on Interstate 75 south of West Newberry Road, causing several hours of traffic delays Saturday afternoon.

The incident happened at about noon.

Travis Carr, a 20-year-old Okeechobee resident, was driving southbound in his semitruck when one of the truck’s front wheels blew out, according to a Florida Highway Patrol accident report.

The truck veered right and struck a guardrail, according to the report.

It continued south over the road shoulder until it crashed into a tree line near Mile Marker 387.

FHP officers and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the crash.

They redirecting highway traffic while emergency medical personnel worked to clear the road.

Officials also chased after several cows that escaped from the truck.

An ambulance took Carr to Shands at UF for treatment.

His passenger, Bryan Martin, 50, of Okeechobee, suffered minor injuries, according to the report.

For several hours, traffic on I-75 slowed down.

At 12:30 p.m., Gainesville/Alachua County Smarttraffic reported that northbound traffic was backed up about 9 miles south from the crash to Payne’s Prairie.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

Southbound traffic stretched 12 miles past exit 400 in Alachua.

By 5 p.m., officials reopened all southbound lanes after clearing the road and gathering all the escaped cattle with the exception of one animal.

It was shot after it became aggressive, according to published reports.

Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.

A semitruck carrying cattle ran off the road on Interstate 75 in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. The crashed caused northbound and southbound traffic to slow down while officials gathered escaped cows. One person was treated for injuries and taken to Shands at UF. By 5 p.m., traffic reopened for all lanes.

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.