Overturned trucks and spillages are a common cause for road closures all across the world. High winds, blowouts, and collisions can quickly tip heavy trailers, ejecting their cargo, requiring hours-long clean-ups.
In the past, there have been some wonderful turnouts for people within grabbing distance of the overturned trucks, with reports of beer, electronics, and more. Looting is, of course, illegal. But who’s going to miss a couple of spilled beers?
However, the spillage from the overturned truck in Sacramento recently certainly didn’t have anyone running to pick up the debris. While driving southbound on Interstate 5, a septic tank carrying 100 gallons of sewage crashed and spilled it’s foul smelling load across the lanes.
Nearby drivers in the splash zone will have been treated to a disgusting flow of the collected sewage as it shut down the interstate. The smell must have been beyond belief.
Hazmat Situation
Because of the nature of the spilled sewage, the situation required a hazmat cleanup crew, according to CBS. Nobody in their right mind would want to get involved in that level of filth without some serious protection. The cleanup was expected to take hours, leaving two lanes of the interstate closed as well as everyone’s windows for miles around.
The driver of the lorry was taken to hospital with major injuries. There are other risks involved with such a spillage, also. The sewage he was carrying is particularly hazardous to health, hence the hazmat response. The clean-up will require an assessment of environmental damage as sewage leaks from the roads and into local wildlife and waterways.
Anyone within smelling distance of the overturned septic truck will also have been subjected to one of the worst odours of their lives. Their noses will need a spa day after what they were put through. Anyone planning on driving the interstate might want to steer clear for a few days.
Not Always Such A Stinker
Lorries overturning and spilling their loads isn’t something to wish for, of course. In some cases the drivers can be seriously injured, and when they carry livestock, it can be a bloodbath. However, sometimes, there is an overturned lorry that only benefits the community, depending on how you feel about a bit of opportunism.
Sometimes, a lorry full of good stuff tips, nobody is seriously hurt, and the helpful public come by to ‘help’ with the clean-up. This was the case in Kentucky, where a lorry full of beers tipped promting kind hearted passers by to lend an all too willing hand.