M1 closed and driver taken to hospital as car crashes into cow causing early hours chaos in South Yorkshire
Cow dead and man taken to hospital as precaution
Traffic on the M1 through South Yorkshire was brought to a standstill after a car collided with a loose cow which had straying onto the motorway, just a few minutes out of Sheffield.
The animal was killed in the collision, which closed the southbound stretch of the motorway for several hours while emergency services and National Highways officials worked on the scene to deal with the aftermath.
Officials believe the cow had got out of a field through a fence which was later repaired.
The crash caused also caused a pile up involving traffic which had been travelling on the carriageway, with one driver taken to hospital as a precaution.
The crash happened in the early hours of Saturday morning.
South Yorkshire Police said in a statement: “At 2.12am on Saturday (October 3), we were called to reports of a collision with an animal on the M1 southbound between junction 38 and 37.
“It is reported that a cow was on the motorway and had been hit by multiple vehicles. Officers attended and found the cow dead.
“The driver of one of the vehicles involved was taken to hospital as a precaution.”
National Highways arranged for the dead cow to be taken away from the road, which did not completely re-open until around 6am.
A National Highways spokesman confirmed that the M1 was closed southbound between junctions 37 (Barnsley) and J38 following a collision with livestock.
They said that their traffic officers attended, assisting police.
At around 4.51am recovery services were on scene to take the damaged vehicles away.
National Highways stated: “The full closure was removed but lanes one and two remained closed whilst recovery and clean up took place. This was slightly more protracted than usual due for the need for the specialist clean up crew.
“At 6.09am, all lanes reopened.
“National Highways made repairs to the boundary fence where the livestock is believed to have accessed the motorway, while the clean up progressed.”
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