Capricorn Highway blocked after cattle truck rollover

A man who attended a Capricorn Highway cattle truck rollover to help round up cows has shared his thoughts. *Disturbing images*

A major Central Queensland highway was blocked for several hours on Tuesday after a cattle truck rollover and it is understood 20 head of cattle had to be euthanised.

Gary Wendt, a livestock agent with Ray White Rural who lives near the incident on the Capricorn Highway at Fairy Bower about 12.12am, said he got the call about 6.30am to help with moving about 30 head of cattle.

“I didn’t know about it until I got the call to help this morning,” he said.

“It’s always not a good thing for the producer (when something like this happens); it would all be under insurance I would imagine but I don’t imagine they’d be impressed, they don’t like seeing their cattle like that, no one likes to see it.”

The Capricorn Highway was closed on Tuesday morning after a cattle truck rolled in the early hours of the morning. Photo: Darryn Nufer

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said the crash happened in the eastbound lane 500m from the Bruce Highway intersection, with the truck rolling onto its side.

The highway remained closed at 7am as crews worked on scene to clear the road.

At 8.45am there were still lengthy delays on the Capricorn Highway, with traffic being diverted via the Old Capricorn Highway.

There were reports of traffic being banked up as far as the Gracemere Hotel.

Emergency crews were called to the Capricorn Highway at Fairy Bower in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a cattle truck rolled. Photo: Darryn Nufer

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said paramedics attended to one patient on scene who declined treatment and transport to hospital.

The spokeswoman said a “large number of animals were involved” and all livestock were removed from the upper deck of the truck by 3.30am.

Emergency crews were called to the Capricorn Highway at Fairy Bower in the early hours of Tuesday morning after a cattle truck rolled. Photo: Darryn Nufer

It wasn’t the only incident keeping emergency crews busy on Tuesday morning.

Paramedics were called to a two-vehicle crash on Exhibition Rd at Wandal about 5.19am.

A QAS spokesman said two patients were taken to Rockhampton Hospital in stable conditions, including a 50-year-old woman suffering chest pain.

He said a third person declined transport.