UPDATE (1:09 pm): This article has been updated with additional information from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.

UPDATE (10:33 am): This article has been updated with details from the scene.

UPDATE (9:06 am): This article has been updated to reflect the correct time of the crash.

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Fourteen cows died — but nearly three times as many survived — early this morning after the truck they were being transported in rolled onto its side while the operator was using the I-84 West Exit 10 offramp.

CT State Police, Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue (SHVFR) and Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps were initially dispatched to that area around 3:30 am Thursday, October 19, following reports of that crash.

SHVFR Chief Anthony Capozziello had command of the scene, which remained active for more than eight hours.

“Upon arrival, there was dense fog and the truck had rolled over on its side,” Capozziello told The Newtown Bee. “There were between 40 and 44 heads of cattle in the truck.

“The driver was fine,” he continued. “He was alert, with no injuries, and was out of the truck on his own.”

The driver was checked for injuries, and declined transport to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the animals were trapped inside the large trailer.

A representative from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture confirmed to The Newtown Bee by mid-Thursday morning that there were 44 head of dairy cattle being transported from Maine to Ohio at the time of the crash.

Seven died in the crash, said Capozziello. Six more needed to be euthanized, he said.

Connecticut Department of Agriculture Director of Communications Rebecca Eddy confirmed those initial numbers, but later said one additional cow had died.

"A total of 14 animals are deceased, six of which were euthanized," she said early Thursday afternoon. "The remaining 30 have been evaluated by the state vet and are doing well."

Eddy also noted the state department had been in communication with the owner of the animals, "and are continuing to assess the situation with partners, including CTDOT and CT State Police, to move the remaining animals to a secure location."

The decision to euthanize was made in coordination with the owner based upon the circumstances present and to prevent further suffering of the animals, Eddy noted. Per US Department of Agriculture regulations, the meat from these animals is not fit for human consumption, she added.

State and local animal control officers responded to the scene, the fire chief said. Newtown Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason was in contact with Capozziello within 20 minutes, and arrived on scene a short time later, he said.

Local farmers were also called on to help at the emergency.

“Shane Powers, a local farmer, was able to help us as was John Ferris, who has farm experience,” Capozziello noted.

“We had to use our extrication tools to cut into the trailer and make openings to start offloading the cows,” Capozziello said. “Within an hour and a half we had a second transport trailer, a double decker trailer, here to load them onto.”

The cows, according to Eddy, were transported "to a facility to be evaluated by the State Veterinarian."

Modzelewski’s Towing & Recovery had multiple vehicles on scene, working to upright and then tow the truck and trailer.

CT DOT and DEEP crews also responded. Capozziello said that while there was no fuel tank rupture from the crash, only a small oil leak “from the engine being turned over,” the state agencies were prepared to handle fluids if they became an issue during the cleanup efforts.

The westbound offramp is still closed as of the posting of this story. I-84 West itself remained open for most of the morning. It was closed for a brief time, around 10 am, but has since reopened.

Westbound traffic, already heavy on weekday mornings, quickly slowed further as drivers became aware of the scene unfolding along the roadway. At one point, westbound traffic was nearly at a standstill back to Exit 15 in Southbury.

Secondary roads in Sandy Hook, including the four-way intersection in Sandy Hook Center, saw additional traffic that morning as drivers tried to circumvent the interstate slowdown by leaving the highway in Southbury and using back roads to avoid the backup.

Eddy offered a word of caution to those transporting animals, "to adhere to safe driving practices to provide a safe journey.

"CT DoAg is committed to ensuring the health and welfare of livestock," she said. "The USDA provides transportation guidelines and regulations for the movement of animals, which all owners and haulers should review and abide by.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.