Suspected drunk driver kills six cows and injures police officer in Texas cattle crash

A suspected drunk driver killed six cows and injured a police officer after her car slammed into cattle as they were being led off a road in Texas, authorities said.

The crash happened at about 1am on Saturday (24 June) in the small city of Bishop, about 55 kilometres south of Corpus Christi.

A woman driving a silver vehicle on Farm Market 70 road fell asleep at the wheel and struck the cattle, Texas Department of Public and Safety Trooper Marco Everett said.

The cows were being led off the road by a Nueces County Sheriff Deputy at the time, he added.

The crash left six cows dead and injured the Deputy, who suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Pictures from the scene show how the crash transformed the front of the silver car into a lump of twisted metal.

"The driver said that she was actually asleep when she struck the livestock and it's turning into an intoxication investigation," Trooper Everett told KRIS 6 NEWS.

Investigators added that the owner of the cows could also be held liable since the cattle were not under proper control and had wandered onto the roadway.

Police closed off parts of Farm Market 70 for a couple of hours to clear the accident scene.

It is not yet known what charges the driver of the car will face.