The Nevada Highway Patrol says driver inattention contributed to the mayhem that shut down Interstate 80 near Elko for several hours and caused nearly a half dozen accidents over the weekend.
The nightmare began about 5:30 Friday evening when a cattle truck overturned. No serious injuries to people were reported but about 13 cows being transported by the Utah-based Miller Trucking were killed or had to be destroyed.
Another 80 or so head of cattle were involved in the crash and many of them got loose. Cowboys from the nearby Maggie Creek Ranch and state troopers turned cowboy worked to round up the animals and try to keep them off the interstate.
