Meridian Twp. - Why did the cows cross the road? To stop moooving traffic.
Shortly after 1 p.m., four steers fell out of a trailer heading west on Interstate 96 at 60 mph near Hagadorn Road. Ingham County Sheriff’s officers, Michigan State Police, Ingham County Animal Control and volunteers helped to round up the four steers as they ran loose on the highway and in the forest near Okemos High School for nearly four hours.
Ingham County Sheriff’s Detective Paul Nieusma, who was traveling near the trailer, put in the call that steers were on the run.
“I almost hit one when they fell out of the trailer,” he said. “I don’t think anyone wants to hit a cow. They’re pretty dense animals to hit.”
The trailer, which was carrying seven steers, was traveling from Williamston to Lake Odessa, police said. Police don’t know why the steers fell from the trailer, but said it might have been overloaded or the door may not have been properly latched.
Traffic was backed up on westbound I-96 until nearly 5 p.m., with traffic down to one lane. A 53-year-old Lansing woman was taken to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital for minor injuries after she struck a semitruck during the backup. None of the steers were hit by cars.
Nieusma said in his 23 years as a police officer, he’s seen runaway animals five times.
“It’s not frequent, but it’s not unheard of,” he said.
Kevin Dunigan, a member of a rodeo association, heard the call on his scanner and decided to help out. The Jackson resident attempted to lasso a steer, but instead was dragged about 20 feet through the dirt at the side of the highway.
“That was a hell of a ride,” Dunigan said, breathing heavily after tying one of the steers to a nearby tree. “They say Cedar Point’s got great rides. Take a ride on that.”
State Trooper Dana McKee also was caught in the tussle when he attempted to help Dunigan. Other than a few scratches, neither man was seriously injured.
“Let’s put it this way, I haven’t been bull-riding since the ‘Urban Cowboy’ days,” McKee said, referring to a movie about mechanical bull-riding.
By 3:30 p.m., one remaining steer had headed in the direction of Jolly Road, near Okemos High School. As the crew was attempting to load the steer, it broke free, jumped a fence and ran about a mile east through the woods.
The steer kept the crew on a chase back to Hulett Road, across from the high school, before it was shot by a tranquilizer gun. The steer continued to run for about five minutes until the tranquilizer set in and it collapsed on the ground to sleep.
But once the steer was down, the crew had another problem: How to get a 1,300-pound steer into a trailer. Officers flagged down Ryan VanSingel, who was driving a truck with a crane. Officers and volunteers tied up the steer and mechanically hoisted it into the trailer, where it continued to nap.
VanSingel, a Kent City resident, said he grew up on a farm and when he saw the steer on the ground, he knew what had to be done.
“I just figured we’d have to shove it up into the trailer,” he said.
Pam Walker, a veterinary medicine professor, said most steers weigh about 1,200 to 1,500 pounds.
“If it actually impacted a windshield, it would destroy the car,” she said. “They aren’t quite as tall as horses, but they would slip up to the top of the hood, and I am assuming, smash the car pretty good.”
Staff Writer Camille Spencer contributed to this report.
