BRANDON, Iowa (KCRG) – A semi crash on Interstate-380 Friday morning near Brandon, in eastern Iowa, caused traffic delays for several hours, also resulted in the death of at least 12 cows. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s office released said the driver was heading northbound on I-380 when he fell asleep at the wheel. The semi entered the median and crashed through the guardrail, hitting a cement bridge rail. That caused the semi to overturn and go into Lime Creek.

A pickup truck also traveling on I-380 hit some of the debris in the road after the initial crash. Officials estimated the damage to the pickup truck at around $1,500. Neither driver was hurt in this crash. The semi driver was cited for failure to control his vehicle.

Linn County Regional HazMat Team Facebook photos

The semi was carrying about 60 cows. The sheriff’s office said about 12-15 of the cows were killed in the crash, or died afterward. The crash and cleanup efforts caused the roadway to be reduced to one lane for several hours. A Linn County Regional Hazmat Team had to be called in because the semi was leaking diesel into a nearby creek.