Two of four cows are seen corralled at the side of the Maine Turnpike after a trailer mishap Monday morning. Rich Burton photo

AUBURN — Chaos unfolded on the Maine Turnpike in Auburn when four cows came tumbling out of a cattle trailer Monday morning.

Maine State Police said two of the cows were seriously hurt while one of the animals made a bid for freedom by wandering into a clearing on the Maine Turnpike near mile marker 79.

An animal control officer out of Lewiston was the first on the scene. Police had to shut down a section of the turnpike as the animals were rounded up by the troopers, local animal control officers and Lewiston police.

The crashed occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Monday as 39-year-old Dustin Bubar was headed south on the turnpike, police said. Investigators said early indications are that the rear doors of the cattle hauler were not properly latched, causing them to open as Bubar headed down the highway.

“As a result,” police said in a statement, “the cattle inside the trailer shifted, leading to three animals falling from the back of the trailer onto the roadway and one cow running out of the vehicle once the trailer had stopped. One cow landed in the passing lane and suffered a broken leg, while two others sustained road rash and were located on the shoulder of the road.”

A fourth cow was found in a clearing 3/4 of a mile away from where the mishap occurred, officials said.

Animal Control Agent Rich Burton roped one of the injured cows and then advised State Police to secure the animal to the back end of a cruiser.

An agent from Inland Fisheries & Wildlife also went to the scene to assist in the roundup operation. The Maine Department of Transportation also responded.

Police said two of the cows will likely have to be euthanized.

Bubar was cited for having an unsecured load. The crash remains under investigation.