A deer in the road was the likely cause of a wreck in which a tractor trailer hauling hogs overturned near Pollards Corner in Columbia County.

Sheriff's Office Capt. Steve Morris said several hogs aboard the 18-wheeler were killed in the wreck, which occurred about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and kept deputies and others busy throughout the night and well past daylight Thursday.

An unknown number of pigs escaped but were later recaptured. "Personnel from the Sheriff's Office, fire department and Animal Control were on the scene for much of the night," he said. "In fact, we didn't clear up until 8 this morning."

The driver, 35-year-old Jacob Hamilton of Kinston, N.C., told deputies he was driving north on Georgia Highway 150 (Clarks Hill Road) about a mile from Washington Road when he was forced to swerve to avoid a deer standing in the road. He lost control of the truck, which entered the east shoulder of the highway and flipped onto its side.

No charges were filed. Authorities brought in a front-end loader to help remove carcasses of the hogs killed in the accident. The remaining animals were captured and transported in a different vehicle, Capt. Morris said.