Close call on SH35 as ute hits cattle beast, road partially blocked

An angle grinder was used before helpers could tow a ute off the road after it slammed into a wandering cattle beast on State Highway 35 near Ruatōria on Wednesday night. Photo / Facebook

• A ute collided with a wandering cattle beast on State Highway 35 near Ruatōria.
• The driver was uninjured, but the animal was put down.
• Passersby helped tow the damaged ute off the road.

A ute driver had a close call Wednesday night when his vehicle hit a wandering cattle beast on State Highway 35.

The crash happened at Kopuaroa near Hiruharama Rd south of Ruatōria.

Police reported there were no injuries to people in the incident, which happened about 6.40pm, but the animal had to be put down.

A witness said on social media that he was in one of three utes that had stopped for traffic lights at a roadworks site.

When the lights turned green they moved off, and a short time later the lead vehicle hit the animal.

“It was a grisly scene, with a cow lying in the middle of the road and several others running in all directions,” the witness said.

“The ute had slammed straight into the cow, leaving it with two badly broken back legs.

“Luckily, the vehicle had bull bars and all the airbags deployed to provide the driver with some protection,” he said.

“He reckoned the animal rode up on the bonnet but slid off the passenger side, otherwise it would have ended up through the windscreen.”

Passersby towed the badly damaged ute off the road with difficulty.

“The bull bars had crumpled into the front wheel on the passenger side, stopping the wheel from spinning,” the witness said.

“Luckily, our son had most of his tools and he cut away the part of the bull bar that was jammed against the tyre with an angle grinder, so the ute could be towed off the road.”

The witness said the police arrived shortly after that.

“They put the bull out of its misery.

“Pure luck that no one was seriously hurt or worse in this incident.”

Police said the road was partially blocked for a time.