Early Morning Cow-Truck Collision in Wine Country

Several cows were struck by a delivery vehicle west of Santa Rosa this morning after they escaped from a nearby pasture, a spokesman said.

The CHP got a call around 3:20 a.m. about cows on River Road near Olivet Road in unincorporated Sonoma County, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Upon arrival, officers found “a chaotic scene,” with 30 to 40 cows that had escaped from a nearby pasture. Four or five of the cows had been hit by the vehicle, two had been killed, and several drivers had stopped to assist.

The driver, who had left the scene by the time the CHP arrived, later called authorities to report the collision and will not be cited.

CHP officers shut down the road and Forestville Fire Protection District personnel and Sonoma County sheriff's deputies herded the cows back to the pasture near Woolsey Road, Sloat said.

The Sonoma County roads department removed the dead cows, and River Road reopened around 5:45 a.m., Sloat said.

Bay City News contributed to this report