Wonder how they cleaned that up? I couldn’t find any further information on this messy spill of glue on the highway.

KRON-TV

On July 23, 2006, a truck spilled glass on the I-5 on-ramp in Washington.

Washington State DOT

 

This is from the town of Jupiter Forida’s Public Works site. They don’t post any details.

Jupiter, FL

 

On the morning of June 24, 2008, a truck loaded with fireworks overturned on I-84 near Pendleton, Oregon. The fireworks spilled on the side of the highway, closing one lane for hours.

The truck struck a guardrail on the Umatilla River Bridge for unknown reasons, then drove off the roadway, overturning on the shoulder. The driver received minor injuries, but claims that he doesn’t remember the crash happening.

KOHD ABC

 

A truck overturned near Salt Lake City in August, 2005. Other drivers went over to the truck to help and the crew got out OK. But the driver quickly shouted to the bystanders that his load was 35,000 lbs. of explosives, so everybody ran. About 3 minutes later, the truck exploded creating a 30-foot deep crater in the road, blasting chunks out of the canyon wall, setting brush fires, and damaging a Union Pacific rail line.

 

Originally from the Salt Lake Tribune

This disgusting truck spill ocurred on October 10, 2007, in Monticello, AR.

The truck was hauling more thatn 500 pounds of decomposing animal entrails and hides, pig heads, and outdated processed meat. The driver slammed on his brakes on U.S. 425 and the disgusting contents of his trailer shifted forward and over the top. The road was closed for a half-hour and bystanders gagged while a 15-man crew cleaned up the smelly spill.

The driver was on his way to a Wal-Mart to pick up it’s outdated meat. He was cited for spilling the load and having no proof of insurance and the trucking company will be billed for the cost of the cleanup.

There is no law or regulation requiring a load of rotting entrails to be covered. This is a good example of how little you know about what’s in the trucks that you pass everyday on the road. You see this type of truck all tht time and you’d never guess it was carrying entrails.

 

Monticellonian

You just can’t make this stuff up.

On July 17, 2008, 5,000 gallons of molasses leaked from an overturned tanker truck onto the highway in Sugar Land (yes, really), Texas. The driver took the turn too wide, hit the curb, jack-knifed, and flipped over, causing the spill. Traffic was backed up for 3 miles and was moving as slow as… you know. The molasses cleanup was quite an operation (as you can see from the photos). Workers used brooms, shovels, suction, and front-end loaders to clean up the sticky mess. The truck was carrying a total of 8,000 gallons of molasses that was supposed to be mixed into cattle feed.

The driver was treated for minor head injuries.

Molasses, or treacle, is a thick syrup by-product from the processing of sugarcane or sugar beet into sugar. Among its many uses, molasses can be mixed with sand to make mortar for brick working.

ABC13 and others

 

A Bigger Molasses Spill
Probably the biggest molasses spill ever was the Great Molasses Flood on January 15, 1919, in Boston, MA. A tank containing over two million gallons of molasses ruptured sending a 15 foot wave at 35 mph through a Boston neighborhood killing 21 people and injuring 150. Several victims were not found until the fourth day. Residents claim that on hot days, they can still smell the sweet stuff.

 

On April 28, 2009, a truck full of inedible chicken “slaughter material”, which includes heads and feathers, spilled some of it’s load on a Winona, WI street. The truck did not stop. Apparently this was not the first such spill in the area. Three previous times chicken skimming were spilled and there were three car accidents because of the slippery road (explain that to your insurance company). Two drivers from a local comopany were ticketed in those incidents and witnesses say they were similar trucks, so police will follow up with the same company.

 

Winona Daily News, Photo Melissa Carlo

A truck carrying a load of paper rolls overturned on March 24, 2006 on 406 North in St. Catharines, Ontario. The northbound lane was closed for 5 hours. The driver was not injured and no other vehicles were involved. The driver had the presence of mind to tape over the truck’s identifiable markings.

 

Extensively documented by mattclare on Flickr

 

An Idaho potato truck spills 30 tons of potatoes on I-90 in Coeur D’Alene on April 3, 2007.

www.krem.com

 

On September 10, 2008, a truck carrying prescription drugs overturned on I-40 in North Carolina. The driver was not injured, but the westbound lanes were closed for several hours while employees from the drug company cleaned up the pharmaceuticals and crews cleared the truck. The driver was charged with careless and reckless driving.

The News Herald/Matt Dymond