Dozens of cows roamed the lanes of Briley Parkway after escaping from a semi-truck that crashed and closed the road for nearly eight hours.

The wreck happened in the northbound lanes of Briley Parkway in Nashville near Exit 6 for Interstate 40 and Exit 7 for Elm Hill Pike around 1:15 p.m. Friday.

The driver said the cattle shifted as he was exiting off the ramp which caused the rollover crash.

Several of the cows were initially rounded up and roped off on the road and some remained inside the trailer; however, they added at least two of them had died.

The cattle that remained in the trailer were sprayed by the fire department to help keep them cool. Others were given a bucket of water to drink from.

Police and what appeared to be some farmers were able to cut a hole in the top of the trailer in order for the rest of the herd to get out safely.

At that point the heard was fenced off until a ramp was brought out so that the cattle could be loaded onto another trailer.

Officials said the cows were headed to a stockyard. If any of them have serious injuries, authorities said they would have to be put down.

Police said the driver of the semi was okay. He was reportedly with an independent company from Nebraska called Bassett Trucking LLC.

Reports stated the roadway was closed to northbound traffic. Southbound drivers were not affected.

Cattle truck overturned on Briley Pkwy North near I-40. Driver ok. Several cows rounded up. Traffic being diverted. Plan alternate route. pic.twitter.com/plR067YsVN — Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) October 13, 2017

The road was reopened around 9: 15 p.m. Officials said speed was believed to be a factor in the crash.