The spill caused hours of blocked traffic before the road reopened to cars after being cleared by authorities
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NEED TO KNOW
- Over 20 tons of squid spilled onto a Rhode Island road after a tractor-trailer overturned on Aug. 16
- The accident caused hours-long traffic disruptions as crews cleared the road of the squid
- Authorities cited the driver for failing to secure the load and reported no injuries from the incident
A tractor-trailer carrying squid overturned onto a road this weekend, causing a several-hour traffic disruption.
The vehicle tipped over onto the road in Narragansett, R.I. on Sunday, Aug. 16 while attempting to turn, pouring over 20 tons of squid onto the road, per ABC News.
The Narragansett Police Department said in a press release that the “fully loaded trailer was transporting squid to a processing facility out of town.”
“A substantial portion of the squid spilled onto the roadway,” the department said.
Video obtained by NBC 10 shows raw squid spread throughout the road and tractors picking up the creatures.
“Squid has a distinctive odor,” a fisherman told the outlet. “I use squid for bait, so I’m used to it, but it can be very foul-smelling, especially if it lands on the road and stays there for a while.”
Credit: Getty
The authorities responded to the “reported tractor-trailer rollover” at approximately 9:27 a.m. on Aug. 16, per the police press release.
“Officers determined that the tractor-trailer had been negotiating the turn onto Pt. Judith Road when the trailer became dislodged from the cab and overturned onto its side,” the release said.
It continued that the trailer blocked “all lanes of travel” on the road, “resulting in significant traffic disruptions and an extended road closure.”
The road reopened to cars after several hours of closure, the release said.
The police noted that the driver and passenger of the trailer were not injured in the incident.
ABC News reported that Rhode Island State Police cited the operator for failure to secure a load.
The police worked with the Narragansett Fire Department, along with other authorities, to clean the road and control traffic, as well as to “assist with the incident.”
NBC 10 reported that crews sprayed down the road in the process of disposing of the mess.
This isn’t the first time a tractor-trailer incident has spilled food on the road this year.
An accident in Campbell County, Va. on May 14 involving two tractor-trailers led to a load of White Claw falling onto the road.
“The crash resulted in debris being scattered across the right travel lane,” a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police told PEOPLE at the time.
The statement said that no injuries were reported from the incident, which at the time remained under investigation.
ABC13 shared photos and footage of a spilled White Claw load that it reported was caused by the crash.
“It seemed like traffic was stopped, and he tried to brake. I don’t know what happened. I can’t make any speculation right now, but he tried to miss the truck but did make contact,” Trooper Austin Tosh told the outlet of the driver.
He added, “It’s a little bit more involved since the tractor trailers are traveling all over the country, so they’re carrying different types of products. So, you can have anything from alcohol to, I think the other track trailer has auto parts, so you’re dealing with different types of cargo.”
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