The capsize of a large cattle truck and trailer unit on SH3 near William Birch Park, Maxwell, yesterday blocked the highway from 11.25am to 6.30pm.
The driver was taken to Wanganui Hospital by ambulance, treated for an injured shoulder and concussion, and discharged.
The weather at the time of the accident was
extremely wet. Emergency services and veterinarians were quickly at the site.
About 13 of the 37 prime Aberdeen Angus bullocks in the truck and trailer had to be shot, some while charging up the highway.
"The driver was very lucky not to have been more injured. It was very dangerous there. The cattle, as whenever such an accident happens, were very angry," Greg Cox of Berdeck Village Salvage, who was at the scene from 11.30am to 6.30pm said.
The uninjured stock, some of which had to be rounded up, were placed in holding paddocks on nearby farms.
The stock, worth about $1200 a head, and the eight-wheeler freight liner and four-axle trailer are owned by Te Kumu Estate of Marton, They were en route to the Hawera Freezing Works when the accident happened.
A spokesman for Te Kumu Estate who was at the accident site not long after it happened, was grateful that no one was seriously hurt.
"It's unfortunate the accident happened, but the very lucky thing is no person's life was lost just a bit of machinery. And all the people who came to aid emergency services, farmers and others did a fantastic job." Emergency Services at the scene included one Waitotara Volunteer Fire Brigade appliance and two Wanganui Fire Service appliances.
A crane was used to right the truck and trailer unit, which was then towed to Berdeck Village. Throughout the seven-hour highway closure traffic was diverted to Pakaraka Rd. The police's Crash Investigation Unit is investigating the accident. No comment was available from police last night.
