I-285 Reopens After Joint Public Safety Response

DECATUR, Ga. – The DeKalb County Office of Public Safety provided onsite emergency response assistance after a tractor trailer hauling livestock overturned on the ramp from Interstate 285 to Interstate 20 eastbound in DeKalb County.

“Our teamwork with state agencies demonstrates the shared nature of public safety,” said Jack Lumpkin, Director of Public Safety for DeKalb County. “The county responded quickly and participated in a coordinated effort to protect the public.”                        

On Friday, June 8, at approximately 5 a.m., a tractor trailer hauling 36 cows to Augusta overturned on the I-285 exit ramp. County staff from the DeKalb County Police Department, DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department, DeKalb County Animal Services and Enforcement and DeKalb Emergency Management Agency joined other responding agencies in clearing the highway and safely transporting cattle from the damaged trailer. The highway was reopened after six hours. Thirty-three cows survived the accident.

Among the state agencies responding to the accident were the Georgia Department of Transportation, HERO Units, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia State Patrol.