Cow euthanased after horror night-time crash on Illawarra Highway

A female motorist was lucky to escape uninjured after her Hyundai Getz slammed into a cow standing on the middle of the road.

The crash occurred near the intersection of North Macquarie Road in Calderwood just after 9.30pm. It was just a few minutes after police were alerted to the animal.

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Tim Thompson was driving west on the road with his wife at 9.15pm when they almost ran into a cow on a blind corner.

They immediately stopped, on a nearby straight stretch of road, and called police at 9.18pm. As they were on the phone they flashed their headlights to try and warn motorists about the stricken cow.

"It [the cow] was in such a bad spot and I told them that, and said 'I hope someone gets here soon'," he said.

"They're such big things, that if you hit them they total your car.

"It was on a bend where you duck down a valley."

The Illawarra Mercury understands the cow had to be euthanased due to its injuries.

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Mr Thompson said while cows on the road are a common occurrence around Jamberoo, there's not so many on the Illawarra Highway.

Traffic on the highway has increased due to a landslip on Jamberoo Mountain Road in July 2022, where the road remains closed between Misty Lane and The Abbey.

Mr Thompson said he was relieved the female driver was uninjured and warned other motorists to drive with caution.

"I'm glad she's ok, but on that road you just need to be hyper vigilant," he said.