- Lewis County Sirens.com - https://lewiscountysirens.com -

Farmer loses cows on Interstate 5 south of Chehalis

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A farmer taking his cows to market lost some out the back of a trailer on Interstate 5 this afternoon south of Chehalis.

The Washington State Patrol said no vehicles were hit by the animals or vice versa.

Traffic slowed down when it happened, Sgt. Ted DeHart said.

Most of the cows got up and walked away and headed to the shoulder to graze, he said.

It happened about 1 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the freeway just south of the U.S. Highway 12 and Avery Road interchange.

DeHart didn’t know how many cows were involved for sure but said he thought it was less than five.

A latch to a door had broken and the driver of the truck pulling the livestock trailer was beginning to pull to the shoulder when it occurred, DeHart said.

No animals were hurt.

“All of them were fine, we’re in the process of getting the last one – that kind of got away – wrangled up as we speak,” DeHart said.

The sergeant didn’t expect a citation would be issued as it was purely an accident, he said.