3 cows delayed northbound I-5 traffic in Tumwater Saturday. Here’s what happened

Northbound Interstate 5 traffic was slowed for hours Saturday evening when three cows escaped from a trailer near Tumwater, a Washington State Patrol trooper said.

About 6 p.m., an SUV hauling the trailer, and possibly traveling too fast in rainy conditions, jackknifed in the area, which resulted in three cows getting out of the trailer, Trooper Daniel Southard said.

One of the cows jumped onto Deschutes Parkway, a second cow ran off in the direction of Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls and got stuck in some barbed wire, and a third was struck by the driver of a Porsche SUV. The driver had no time to react and crashed into the animal, Southard said.

The owner was able to retrieve the cows, although Southard said he did not have a status update on the animals. At least two of the cows were injured, he said.

There were reports that the cows were being hauled in a semi-truck, but that was not the case, he said. However, there was a semi-truck in the area that had hit some unrelated debris.

Southard said northbound I-5 was fully blocked for about 30 minutes, then lanes were reopened to traffic.

State Patrol cleared the scene about 9:10 p.m., he said.