Cowboys round up cattle after fatal truck crash

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CONCORD, NC (WBTV/AP) - A man from eastern North Carolina died after his cattle truck flipped over on Interstate 85 in Cabarrus County early Tuesday morning.

The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Lloyd Ward of Godwin, NC.

According to the highway patrol, Ward was traveling northbound on I-85 when he drove off the road and hit the guardrail just before 5 a.m.

He continued driving on the shoulder of the road and hit another guardrail which caused the trailer to overturn throwing the cattle out of the rig.

There were 33 cattle on the trailer. More than a dozen died as a result of the accident and some had to be euthanized.

Authorities called in men on horseback to round up the remaining three to seven cows that were still loose somewhere between U.S. 29 and I-85.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the highway patrol said there may be one or two cattle still loose.

Joshua Stedman, 33, also of Godwin, was a passenger in the truck. He was taken to CMC-Northeast in Concord where he was treated for his injuries and released.

Sgt. Garrett Barger said it is unclear if Ward fell asleep at the wheel or if he suffered a medical condition. The highway patrol is still investigating to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The ramp was closed until about noon to allow workers to clean up the debris and to gather the roaming cattle.

The men were transporting the cattle from Martin's Abbatoir in Godwin which is about 15 miles northeast of Fayetteville.