243 goats die after truck overturns

Hundreds of dead goats were piled on the roadside Friday after a truck carrying the animals tipped over.

Authorities said 243 goats died after the truck they were riding in tipped over about 8:45 a.m. while making a tight turn on Kerner Boulevard at Irene Street in San Rafael.

The truck was transporting 400 of the animals, which belonged to Goats R Us in Orinda. They were rented by the Golden Gate Seminary in Mill Valley for brush grazing.

When officials arrived at the scene, about 20 goats were grazing in a nearby neighborhood.

"Our main concern is the remaining goats," said San Rafael police Sgt. Mike Vergara, who noted that several of the animals had escaped.

About 150 goats survived the crash and were taken to the seminary for their job.

The truck's driver, Ed Gibson, said he could feel a tire give out as he made his turn.

The majority of the goats died by suffocation, said Elliot Katz, a veterinarian at the scene. "It's sad but when the goats freak out, the ones on top basically smothered the ones below them," he said.