More than 120 cattle were aboard a semi-truck that crashed and plunged from a downtown Kansas City, Missouri overpass early Sunday, October 18, 2026, leaving surviving animals roaming highways and city streets while emergency crews worked through the afternoon to clear the wreck and account for the livestock.
Semi-Trailer Spills Cattle Onto I-35 After Overpass Crash
The incident began shortly before 3 a.m. when the Kansas City Fire Department responded to a severe two-vehicle collision on Interstate 70 near Admiral Boulevard. According to Kansas City Police Sgt. Phil DiMartino, the semi-trailer was carrying approximately 120 to 130 cattle when it overturned on the westbound I-70 curve and plunged over southbound I-35, landing directly on top of a passenger car.
The impact broke the semi’s trailer apart, spilling dozens of animals onto the asphalt and rupturing the truck’s fuel tanks. Emergency crews worked to contain a diesel spill while closing the east side of the downtown loop to manage the wreckage. Both the truck driver and the driver of the car struck by the falling vehicle sustained injuries and were transported to local hospitals in stable condition, with DiMartino confirming that neither driver suffered serious injuries. A spokesperson for the fire department noted that the bridge fall critically injured the occupants taken to the hospital.
COW UPDATE: Looks like a Clay County deputy has rounded up a loose cow on the Buck O’Neil Bridge. This is a few miles from where cows escaped a semi after a crash this morning. @kmbc’s Dana Dieterle captured this on a dash cam. pic.twitter.com/rzLfnRAigs
— https://x.com/EricGravesKMBC/status/2111832699480703241
Livestock Scatter Across a Three-Mile Urban Radius
The crash scattered surviving cattle across a wide stretch of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Sightings ranged from Pershing Road and Main Street near Crown Center all the way to Kansas City, Kansas, and the Downtown Airport at Highway 169.
We’ve had reports as far as Pershing in Maine, and reports that KCK’s had a couple calls of cattle.
KCFD battalion chief Michael Hopkins, via KSHB
Residents woke up to unexpected visitors in residential areas. One homeowner discovered five cows wandering through a backyard near 13th and Brooklyn Avenue after police knocked on doors to block potential escape routes, prompting local neighbors and young residents to help corral the animals alongside authorities.
Search Operation Concludes by Sunday Afternoon
First responders faced significant logistical hurdles throughout the morning, balancing traffic management, fuel cleanup, and animal rescue. Chief Hopkins noted that removing the animals that perished in the wreck proved particularly difficult for the crews on scene.
More difficult has been getting the animals who did not survive.
Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, via Associated Press
Authorities advised drivers to use caution in the area and provided non-emergency contact numbers through the police line at 816-234-5111, the fire department line at 816-924-0600, and local 311 services. By Sunday afternoon, police confirmed through an updated press release that all surviving livestock had been successfully located and accounted for.
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