PETA's now in the business of handing out "awards," and we've got a candidate for "Worst Truck Driver of the Year": the guy who flipped a tractor-trailer carrying nearly 40 cows this morning.
Authorities say 38 cows are in need of rescue following an early-morning tractor-trailer wreck on Interstate 17, just north of the Valley, and a portion of the freeway will be closed for much of the day as ranchers try to herd the animals.
Some of the cows might have been injured in the wreck, Department of Public Safety officials say.
According to the DPS, the wreck happened about 3 a.m. today in the southbound lane of the I-17 south of the Sunset Point rest area, just north of Black Canyon City.
Thanks to some aerial coverage from ABC 15, the cow-filled truck appears to have flipped on its side and is dangling off an embankment.
To assist in freeway cow removal, the DPS has recruited the help of some Yavapai County ranchers, who will help authorities move the cows into other trailers.
Meanwhile, if you trying to drive south on the I-17, you're advised to avoid the area of the cow catastrophe -- Arizona Department of Transportation officials say the right-hand lane of the southbound side of the road near the wreck will be closed for much of the day.