Driver Charged With "Careless Driving" After Letting Herd Of Cows Loose On 401 In Toronto
This weekend, drivers were in for a bit of a weird surprise as a herd of cows got loose on the 401 after a truck crashed into a cement barrier. It took several hours and multiple delays for police to get the cattle off the highway. Now, provincial police have charged the driver of the cattle truck with "careless driving" after letting a herd of cows loose on the 401 in Toronto.
READ ALSO: A Herd Of Cows Got Loose On Highway 401 And Wreaked Havoc For Drivers This Weekend
The collision occurred around 11:30 PM Friday night in the westbound express lanes near Huronatio. After the truck crashed into the guard rail, it split open the side of the truck, allowing around a dozen of the cows to escape onto the highway. Sadly, 12 cows were also found deceased after the crash.
OPP was forced to shut down the express lanes in both directions as the cows began to block traffic throughout the highway. It took nearly seven hours for OPP and firefighters to round the cows up and get them safely off of the road.
The highway was closed until 6 AM when all cows were cleared from the scene.
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Cattle being rounded up off #hwy401 after collision involving a cattle carrier collided with the cement barrier around 11:30 p.m. last night. Unfortunately 12 cows were found deceased inside the trailer as a result of thr collision.#Farming#CowsLooseOnTheHighway #Mississauga pic.twitter.com/bo1ninkMqU
Video footage from Sgt. Kerry Schmidt shows officers attempting to herd the cows down a tunnel on the 401 in order to get them to safety and to reopen the road on a busy weekend morning.
George SCOTT - 36 from Mount Forest has been charged with Careless Driving after the cattle carrier he was driving collided with the cement barrier on #hwy401 last night in #Mississauga. SCOTT sustained minor injuries from the collision. Cows were left running on the Hwy. pic.twitter.com/6Cbr9CbDwM
Now, provincial police have confirmed that the driver of the cattle truck, a Mount Forest man has been charged with careless driving.
George Scott, 36, was said to have crashed the truck into a barrier while driving down the 401 in the late hours of Friday night. He faced minor injuries after the crash had occurred.
Animal rights activists have been trying to save the cows since the crash, yet have been unsuccessful. Since these cows are considered property opposed to beings, the chances of them being moved to a sanctuary are slim.