Seasoned drivers know to be on the lookout for waste on the roadways or even a wayward critter. However, most drivers are not on the lookout for straying cattle. Killed on impact, a dead steer in the middle of the road caused a modest amount of chaos on Route 45 on an early New Jersey morning. The vehicle that initially hit the animal killed it immediately, but as the driver was pulling over to call 911, another vehicle was headed for a collision with the black steer. That vehicle ended up on its roof, about 150 feet from the center line.

It was about half an hour before sunrise, and it is believed that the second driver hit the steer because it was black and he could not see it. Fortunately, everyone was wearing their seatbelt and no one was seriously injured in the car accident.

The steer wandered into the road after escaping from a nearby farm, said a New Jersey state police trooper. It is unknown from what direction the steer entered the road, because there are multiple farms in the area. Once the scene of the accident was cleared, the owner of the steer picked up the animal's body.

Charges have not been filed against the farmer. The state trooper said that insurance should take care of the damages and that, in a rural community, such accidents happen from time to time.

The steer's body came to rest near the end of a driveway. The resident in the home said that he did not see the accident, but he heard it. He said, "It sounded like someone was scraping a shovel on the road." That sound was probably produced by the vehicle traveling on its roof. The local fire department responded at 6:36 a.m. and stayed on the scene for 55 minutes. Life Support offered assistance for 55 minutes, as well.

Source: NJ.com, "Vehicle flips, lands on roof after striking dead steer on Route 45 in Mannington Township," Phil Dunn, Feb. 2, 2012