Ticket issued in cattle truck crash

Staff reports
March 27, 2008

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A Greeley truck driver has been issued a ticket for careless driving causing bodily injury from a crash that killed five head of cattle earlier this week.

The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on Weld County Road 49 (the Keenesburg Cutoff) near Weld County Road 54. It was first believed the truck, which may have caused the crash, was considered a hit-and run, but the Colorado State Patrol said the driver later returned to the scene and said he didn’t know the crash had occurred.

Alberto Dominguez, 70, was driving a tandem-box truck when he allegedly turned in front of the semi, causing the driver to swerve and lose control. The semi — loaded with 32 head of cattle — rolled on it’s side. Some cattle died immediately and others had to be put down by a veterinarian. A total of five cattle died from the crash, and the driver of the cattle truck, Timothy Koelling, 25, of Evans suffered a minor cut to his head.

The crash resulted in numerous steers being cut out of the wreckage and an estimated $165,000 damage to the truck rig.

Troopers said Dominguez drove from the scene at first, apparently without realizing he’d caused the crash. He returned to the scene later, talked with the trooper, and was given the traffic citation.