02 August 2023 , 21:59
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This is the shocking moment a huge cow tumbled off a lorry and into the path of 70mph traffic hurtling along the M6 on Tuesday.
Drivers swerved to dodge the animal after it - and another cow - fell from the HGV and into live lanes. Dashcam footage shows several near misses as northbound traffic approaches junction nine for Wednesbury, West Midlands - one of the busiest stretches of the motorway.
West Midlands Police say another cow also broke free two miles away and the motorway was closed in both directions for around 90 minutes between junctions seven and ten.
A panicked cow sprawls across the M6 after falling from a lorry (Kevin Rogers / SWNS)The cows were "injured", Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) confirmed on Twitter, but the extent of the injuries is unclear. One lorry driver stops, in the clip, and is understood to have helped officers contain the cows.
Kevin Rogers, 52, who recorded the footage from his vehicle, said: "The cow fell out the bottom of the lorry, the lorry next to it moved and I moved out the way. I was the first car coming head-on to it and I managed to miss it.
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"Definitely only one cow fell out the lorry but reports read that there were two cows. I think the floor gave way on the bottom and when [the lorry] pulled over another cow came out.
"You don't see that every day - my first thought was not to hit it. I didn't see it fall out the lorry so the first I saw was her sprawling on the road. Thankfully I could swerve onto the hard shoulder to get around it.
Drivers avoided the cow by using the hard shoulder - and police eventually contained the creatureThe driver added: "It was a complete surprise. When I safely could I messaged my wife and said "I've nearly been hit by a falling cow on the motorway". She didn't believe me. I can't think why."
The CMPG said on Twitter initially: "CLOSED. M6 j 10 to j 7 and m6 j7 to j10 is closed.. Further updates will follow. Please avoid the area where possible. We have two injured cows in the carriageway two miles apart that have fallen from a lorry.
"Both sb (southbound) and nb (northbound) closed whilst we try get the injured cows off the motorway safely. Last thing we want is for them to bolt into moving traffic."