Joliet farmers wrangle cows thrown from semitrailer after crash on Interstate 80

A truck driver under the influence of drugs crashed on Interstate 80 Tuesday afternoon, letting more than a dozen cattle he was hauling loose on the expressway near Joliet, according to police.

The driver went off the road near Houbolt Road and crashed into a disabled semitrailer on the shoulder around 3:40 p.m., Illinois State Police said.

He veered back onto the expressway, struck another car and then crashed into the median wall.

During the crash, the truck driver’s trailer was torn open and 16 of the 33 cattle he was hauling were thrown onto the expressway, state police said.

State troopers had to put down two of the cattle due to their injuries. Nearby farmers on horseback helped gather the remaining cattle, which were hauled to a storage facility.

The truck driver, a 51-year-old man from Waynesboro, Virginia, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, state police said.

He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and was issued citations for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and improper lane usage.

An 82-year-old man from Chicago, who was driving the other car that was struck, was hospitalized with minor injuries, state police said.