Vermont transportation officials believe two cows were struck and killed by vehicles on Interstate 89 in Richmond Tuesday morning, prompting authorities to limit traffic during the commuting hour as they removed the dead animals.
The roadway was reduced to one lane of travel in each direction for about two hours starting at 6:35 a.m. while workers removed one living cow and two dead cows, according to information provided by Vermont State Police and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
No drivers have filed accident reports involving the incident, Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for Vermont State Police, wrote in an email.
But based on the evidence on the roadway, the animals “were definitely killed by a motor vehicle,” said Ernie Patnoe, the District Transportation Administrator, who was on the scene during the removal of the animals.
Vermont Agency of Transportation officials shut down Interstate 89 northbound completely for a brief time to allow for equipment to be used during the removal, according to Vermont State Police.
Traffic was backed up a quarter to a half of a mile in either direction, according to Patnoe. They used trucks, trailers and a bucket loader to remove the dead cows from the road.
“It’s very sad and unfortunate but we had to react fast,” he said.
VTrans contained the living cow within the median until the owner arrived with a truck and trailer, he said. He did not name the owner of the cows.
Authorities believe that the three cows escaped from within their enclosure on Monday and wandered onto the highway early Tuesday morning, Silverman said.
— Dom Minadeo
