Our local authorities including Sheriff’s deputies, Clanton police officers, state troopers and the Verbena Fire Department along with outside help from the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, two Autauga County fire departments and state and private veterinarians were called to duty Wednesday night after an 18-wheeler crashed on I-65. The crash left all four lanes of the interstate closed for several hours due to the cargo of live cows that was being hauled on the 18-wheeler when it crashed.

The late night call took many hours and helping hands to clear up. All of the officials that were called to duty spent most of their night and a good bit of their morning working together to get not only the wreckage cleaned up for safe passage, but also trying to safely gather up all of the unhurt cows that were strewn down the interstate.

After gathering up the loose cattle and checking the health of the cattle trapped in the trailer officials were able to reopen the interstate. Although this was a frustrating night for everyone stuck in the traffic from the closed interstate, the officers, firefighters and other officials worked as fast and efficiently as they could to solve the problem.

Thus, they deserve a “thank you” from our community. Thanks to their hard work, what could have been a long night of wrecks turned out to be a night with only two accidents. Without their help oncoming traffic would have never been able to stop in enough time to dodge all of the cattle that were dotted all along the interstate. These animals, like deer normally become dumb founded when it comes to a large object approaching them and are reluctant to moving quickly to get out of the way.

Our officials really stepped up and saved a few lives. Not only the lives of oncoming traffic, but also the lives of the cattle that didn’t understand what had happened to them. We are thankful to everyone that helped with the incident.