Truck load of pigs overturns on US 25 Tuesday; road shut down for hours

Drivers stuck in the backed-up traffic weren’t the only ones squealing about an overturned tractor-trailer truck on U.S. 25 in Lily Tuesday morning.

The load of 78 pigs that were trapped in the trailer squealed for hours as emergency personnel worked to get trailers on the scene to hold them while the truck was righted.

The pigs, several of which were killed in the wreck, weighed an estimated 55,000 pounds

A tow truck driver called to the scene explained that with that much additional weight, the trailer would be torn apart as the tow cables pulled the truck over and onto its wheels.

The wreck occurred around 7:45 a.m. about one mile north of Hunter Hills Elementary School.

The driver, Daniel Kavanagh, 28, was not injured. 

Kavanagh told officers that he was traveling south when a car in front of him suddenly stopped. Kavanagh had to swerve to avoid a collision, demolishing a utility pole before the truck overturned, blocking the southbound lane. 

Josh Roark, who lives in one of the nearby trailers, said he didn’t know what was happening until he came outside and saw the overturned truck.

“I just heard my mom screaming that someone was dead,” Roark said.

Three of the pigs were able to escape from the trailer. They did not wander far. One rooted up the lawn of a mobile home near the wreck before laying down in the shade. Two others found shade near another trailer. While one was lying down against the trailer, the other snacked on a patch of flowers.

Traffic was halted in both directions for about an hour. By 9 a.m., one lane had been opened. The scene was cleared and the roadway was back open by 2:30 p.m.

Vehicle Enforcement Officer Steve Douglas said the truck belongs to Sideways Livestock out of Kalamazoo, Mich. The load of pigs had been picked up in Burlington, Ind. and was bound for Kodiak, Tenn.

Douglas said Kavanagh told officers he was on U.S. 25 to avoid the commercial vehicle scales.

Kentucky State Police Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers are continuing the investigation. 

They are being assisted by Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies, Lily Fire Department and Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County.