Five cattle killed in semi crash on K-96 near Maize (VIDEO)

Law enforcement officials needed the help of a couple of local cowboys to round up loose cattle after a semi crashed on K-96 northwest of Wichita early Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The crash occurred at about 4 a.m. on K-96 just east of 119th Street West, Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Chad Crittenden said. The driver was hauling 59 cattle from Hutchinson to Eureka.

“In the heavy rain, he was having a hard time seeing the lane markers,” Crittenden said of the driver.

The semi drifted into the median and rolled. The driver, a man in his 60s, was not injured.

Five cattle were killed and more than a half-dozen others escaped the trailer and began wandering through the area, Crittenden said.

Authorities closed K-96 from 119th West to 53rd Street North so drivers wouldn’t run the risk of hitting a loose cow in the dark.

“Dark, rainy conditions with black cattle out there is never a good combination,” Crittenden said.

Two local cowboys were contacted and they provided help in rounding up the loose cattle. It took more than five hours to unload all the cattle and put them in another trailer for shipping.

“Nobody should ever say anything bad about a cowboy,” Crittenden said. “They did good work today. Everybody worked hand-in-hand.”

Heavy rain moved through the area early Wednesday morning, dropping more than an inch of precipitation in a short period of time.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Five cattle killed in semi crash on K-96 near Maize (VIDEO)."