Semi Carrying Load of Buffalo Takes a Tumble: Notes from the Dakota County Sheriff

A minor miscalculation by a a semi truck driver turned into a big problem for the Dakota County Sheriff.

This week, deputies with the DCSO were called to an accident scene in Randolph Township, a small settlement about 12 miles north and east of Northfield, where a semi-tractor trailer had gone into a ditch. Oh, and one more thing: Also onboard were 44 American bison, a species described by National Geographic as "the heaviest land animals in North America." The beasts typically stand 5 to 6.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and can weigh more than a ton. They are known for their ill temper and speed (they can run at speeds up to 40 miles an hour). All of this made extracting the truck "a little more challenging," as the DCSO put it, with characteristic understatement. 

"Fortunately, the truck was freed without much trouble from the riders," the author of the Sheriff's weekly newsletter concluded.