It was a long night for emergency service personnel in the Bogan Shire, who responded to a truck rollover on the Tottenham road 10 kilometres south of Nyngan on Tuesday night.
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The B-Double stock truck, which was carrying 60 head of cattle across four decks, went off the road about 9pm, with police remaining at the scene until about 4am.
The driver was conveyed to hospital and his injuries are not considered serious.
About 30 animals are deceased as a result of the crash.
Nyngan Police Sergeant Tony Wood said emergency services – Fire and Rescue NSW, Rural Fire Service, Local Land Services and Ambulance NSW – arrived on scene to find the truck on its side.
It is believed about 10 animals died in the crash, while another 20 had to be destroyed on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“It was tough for the emergency services in attendance,” Sergeant Wood said.
“A number of cattle had managed to get free from the open roof of the top deck [but] it was difficult because there were some uninjured cattle who were trapped by injured and deceased animals.
“It took a good seven hours to free all the uninjured animals, which involved moving quite a number of deceased and injured cattle.
“We had a vet on scene to guarantee the welfare of the animals, but it’s a credit to the volunteer and part time emergency services in the Bogan Shire that they worked together under very difficult circumstances.”
Police expect to interview the driver in the coming days. A blood sample will be taken as standard, and police say early indications suggest the driver may have swerved to avoid an animal.
The road was partially closed for some time as the truck was removed from the scene, but has now reopened to traffic.