Chaos After Semi Truck Carrying 32 Bulls Crashes on Florida Highway

In this Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, photo, a semitrailer hauling 32 bulls lies wrecked after slamming into a tree on I-75 in Gainesville, Fla. (Photo: AP)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (TheBlaze/AP) -- A semitrailer hauling 32 bulls slammed into a tree on Florida's I-75 Saturday afternoon, snarling traffic and forcing Highway Patrol officials to chase down and shoot one of the three animals that escaped.

A veterinarian sedated another of the animals with a dart. The first was shot for being overly aggressive after Saturday's crash.

In this Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, photo, a semitrailer hauling 32 bulls lies wrecked after slamming into a tree on I-75 in Gainesville, Fla. (Photo: AP)

“I had to dart one of them. They were wrangled by two cowboys. We ended up going down the road about a mile. They roped it first and I had to dart it,” Eric Hiers, a large-animal veterinarian, explained.

He continued: “One of them had to be shot by the sheriff’s deputy — it was very aggressive, very dangerous. They are very gentle for the most part but in situations like this they can be very dangerous.”

The Gainesville Sun reported Sunday that a crew of cowboys, veterinarians and state troopers set up chutes with portable metal fences to offload the bulls from the semi into trailers that would transport them to South Florida.

In this Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, photo, a semitrailer hauling 32 bulls lies wrecked after slamming into a tree on I-75 in Gainesville, Fla. (Photo: AP)

Bryan Martin said he and driver Travis Carr, the driver, were hauling the bulls from Texas to Indiantown.

Carr has been hospitalized with serious injuries, but they are not being reported as life-threatening.

"People said (the driver) did a real good job — that he could have taken out five cars,” Martin added.

An entrance to the highway was blocked for several hours.

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