On Friday morning in Charlotte, North Carolina, a tractor-trailer crashed and spilled its load of thousands of potatoes across I-77, causing the highway to close for several hours.
The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-77 near West Boulevard. According to WSOTV, the impact of the crash was so extreme, the engine went flying from out of the big rig.
Two other nearby drivers who witnessed the crash immediately rushed to save the truck driver who was taken to a hospital. Officials report that the driver will be OK. The rescuers told reporters that the driver admitted he fell asleep behind the wheel.
Officials stated that the interstate would be closed throughout the morning while crews cleaned up the scene of potatoes spilled across hundreds of yards.
Nearly 50,000 Pounds of Potatoes Were Scattered.
Clean up crews separated diesel fueled potatoes from clean potatoes. The thousands of clean potatoes were taken to a landfill.
The crash damaged 20 feet of guard rail and a concrete barrier. No other vehicles involved in the crash.
The far left lane was reopened just before 8 a.m. and a second lane was reopened around 11:30 a.m.