Pig Truck Crash Closes Highway For 9 Hours
12/09/2008 05:58
CUMMING, Iowa -- An
overnight crash on Interstate 35 south of Des
Moines led to a five-mile-long traffic jam
Thursday morning that continued for close to 9
hours.
The crash happened at 1:15 a.m. around mile marker 61, which is 25 miles south of Des Moines near the Martinsdale exit in the southbound lanes. Traffic started flowing again around 10 a.m. in one lane, as crews worked to reopen both lanes.
State patrol officials said the incident started when a truck carrying pigs suddenly swerved in a construction zone and overturned.
The truck driver, Jason Johnson, told KCCI, "I hit the shoulder, it was soft enough that it sucked me in. I wasn't able to get it back on the road, caught the bridge and ended up wrecking my truck and trailer."
About 20 of the pigs ran from the scene. Troopers and fire fighters worked for hours to get them contained and to bring in a second truck to load the pigs back onto a tractor-trailer.
The load included more than 156 pigs; some died during the crash. After the pigs are removed from the scene, hazmat crews will arrive to finish the cleanup process.
Hundreds of trucks have been parked on I-35 since the accident first happened, a parking lot stretching for more than five miles.
SINC SAYS:
They should have cooked up a few pork chops while they were waiting for the road to re-open.
