Victorian authorities believe 22 cattle have died after a truck carrying the animals crashed into a bridge in Melbourne, with transport groups questioning why the route was being used.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night when the truck crashed into a rail bridge on Alexandra Avenue in South Yarra at about 8.25pm.
The top deck of the trailer was crushed in the impact, with many of the cattle injured and at least one animal seen jumping from the trailer. There were also reports of at least two cattle wandering through streets.
Agriculture Victoria attended the scene, along with veterinary organisations, and treated the cattle.
They said “approximately 22” cattle died in the crash or were euthanised at the scene. There were about 75 cattle on board the truck at the time of the crash.
The remaining cattle were assessed by Agriculture Victoria staff and moved safely from the scene and were to be reassessed again on Wednesday.
Victoria police on Wednesday said the driver of the truck, a 54-year-old New South Wales man, was assisting them with their inquiries.
They said the driver was not injured.
The Victorian Transport Association’s chief executive, Peter Anderson, said the driver had “done the right thing” by exiting the nearby CityLink tollway, given livestock carriers were prohibited from entering the Burnley Tunnel.
But he questioned why the driver did not follow the “correct diversion route for a 4.6-metre-high heavy vehicle”.
“We are working with Transurban to try and keep these higher vehicles on CityLink longer, and to ensure higher vehicles don’t wander off their gazetted routes where diversions are necessary,” Anderson said.
“It’s up to the driver to be fully aware of their vehicle and bridge heights and any limitations of the road network they’re using.”
He said the loss of the livestock “is sad and regrettable, but we applaud the efforts of vets and emergency services on the scene”.
Animal welfare charity Farm Transparency Project said had members at the crash site shortly after 9pm, and attempted to help free the trapped animals before they were moved from the scene by police about 1am.
The group’s executive director, Chris Delforce, described the scene as “horrific”.
“The whole top level of the truck had been crushed by the bridge and there were cows up there, some of them still alive and trying to get out, sticking their heads out,” he said.
“There were a number of calves at the back as well, young calves, one of them almost fell out at one point. There had been another cow who had escaped and had been running along the road, and at some point, they kind of came back towards the scene and then they were sedated, but they had a pretty badly broken leg.”
Delforce said while it was common for there to be accidents involving livestock carriers, they didn’t usually occur in the heart of Melbourne.
“It’s quite frequent for these trucks to roll over and animals to be strewn all over the road. But most of the time that’s happening out of the city and out of sight.
“The fact that this is right in the middle of Melbourne was pretty shocking.
“It’s such a stark, visual, horrific reminder of the consequences of this industry and the choosing to eat meat and dairy.”
He called for the injured animals to be taken to an animal sanctuary, a move that was supported by Victorian Animal Justice Party MP, Georgie Purcell.
She said it was “shocking to learn” about the deaths.
“The reality is that we only hear about the transport deaths that occur publicly. What happened in South Yarra is confronting because it’s a blatant reminder of what industries exploiting animals work to hide,” Purcell said.
“Millions of animals are transported to their slaughter each year in Australia and this government has little to no oversight around how many of them die before they arrive, whether that be from accidents, heat exhaustion or overcrowding.”
She urged the Victorian government to improve animal welfare standards.
The incident also caused major delays to the train network, with replacement buses brought in for passengers on the Cranbourne, Frankston, Pakenham and Sandringham lines.
✅ Sandringham line: Normal service will resume Richmond - Elsternwick from first train Wed 27 Jul, after a vehicle hit the Alexandra Av bridge near South Yarra.
— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) July 23, 2024
Check information displays and listen for announcements for service information. pic.twitter.com/MUdoM7cxff
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s chief operations officer, Paul Salvati, said it was a “distressing incident”.
“Nobody ever wants to see an incident such as this one. Not only is the distress caused to the animals involved evident, but the impact on the driver and other road users is also of concern,” he said.
“It is imperative truck heights are measured correctly and routes appropriately planned before any transportation takes place to avoid these dangerous and disruptive incidents occurring.”
• This article was amended on 24 July 2024. The scene of the crash was on Alexandra Avenue, not Alexandra Parade as was previously stated.
