By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — Most of the three dozen animals on board survived when a semi towing a cattle liner collided with a car on Highway 11 near Hanley.

However, one animal died on impact and two more had to be “destroyed” following the collision, according to local fire chief Les Kroeger.

The crash at the junction of Highway 11 and the access road to Hanley — occuring around 2:30 p.m. on March 11 — left the overturned semi completely blocking the southbound side of the highway.

Kroeger said he and his crew helped provide medical assistance to the drivers of both vehicles. Neither was seriously hurt, but the driver of the car was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Following that, emergency responders turned their attention to the cattle liner. Kroeger estimated that it took workers between 60 and 90 minutes to remove around 35 animals from the vehicle.

“We got them safely out of the truck and loaded onto other trailers,” he said, adding that the cattle were transported to another farm and given proper medical care.

The firefighters also assisted with directing traffic and cleaning up the highway. Kroeger said they were on the scene for upwards of four-and-a-half hours altogether.

Staff Sgt. Greg Abbott of the Saskatoon RCMP detachment confirmed that one driver was treated for injuries and that most of the cattle were safely removed from the semi.

Following the collision, traffic was rerouted through the Town of Hanley. Drivers were cautioned by police to expect delays in the area and asked to slow down while approaching the site.

Davidson resident Larry Packet said he was driving northbound past Hanley shortly after the collision. He reported that he had to wait about 10 minutes to pass through the area and that he was redirected through town.

Southbound vehicles were redirected around the highway for most of the afternoon. Kroeger said traffic flow was not restored until midnight.

Abbott said the incident remains under investigation and noted that charges had not yet been laid.