Cow hit four times in I-44 crash that sends one driver to hospital

(AP) Authorities say a cow that wandered onto I-44 was hit by four different vehicles with one fiery impact sending a driver to the hospital.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the 21-year-old Hannah Maxwell said she didn’t have time to swerve before her sport utility vehicle collided with the animal around 8:15 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 44 between the towns of Marshfield and Strafford. She recalled that, “It happened so quickly.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the crash propelled the cow into a tractor-trailer. After that, a van hit the cow, overturned and caught fire. The van’s driver was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries.

Another tractor-trailer was able to avoid the van but not the cow, which was hit for a fourth time.