The great California tomato spills are continuing. On Monday, a truck crash on I-80 near Vacaville (around 35 miles southwest of Sacramento) spilled an estimated 50,000 pounds of tomatoes on the freeway. On Friday, a trailer detached from a southbound truck on I-5 in Elk Grove (around 15 miles southeast of Sacramento, and about 50 miles of driving distance from Vacaville), leading to another tomato spill. Here are some looks at that:
At 0750 this morning Cosumnes Fire was dispatched to a reported vehicle accident on I-5 south of Elk Grove. Units arrived to find a commercial truck had dumped its load of tomatoes. There were no reported injuries and the incident is being managed by CHP and CalTrans. pic.twitter.com/PE10Ts1mbY
— Cosumnes Fire Dept. (@CosumnesFire) September 2, 2022
Tomatoes littering lanes all over SB I-5 between Elk Grove Blvd and Hood Franklin Rd. Sat in traffic for a few minutes on SB 5 on my way here, crews are cleaning up. @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/HMSN0d8z3U
— Jordan Tolbert (@jordantolberttv) September 2, 2022
It was the second time in a week that tomatoes covered a section of Sacramento area interstate.https://t.co/QIa4EUHMsZ
— FOX40 News (@FOX40) September 2, 2022
Second soupy spill in a week. Video: See the #tomato mess, traffic backing on I-5 after Friday morning truck crash in #ElkGrove https://t.co/Hjvh2LEUUG #tomatoes @CosumnesFire
— David Caraccio (@DavidCaraccio) September 2, 2022
Here’s more from that Sacramento Bee story on Friday’s crash, by Michael McGough:
Running late in morning rush-hour traffic? Time to ketchup.
For the second time this week, a truck carrying tomatoes spilled on a Northern California freeway near Sacramento, painting the roadway red and causing delays.
A trailer carrying the fruit detached from a truck around 7:45 a.m. Friday on southbound Interstate 5, south of Elk Grove Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol’s online activity log.
Good punning, Bee, good punning. Here’s their video on this as well:
And here are some images of Monday’s crash:
Crews are mopping up tomato sauce along eastbound Interstate 80 in Vacaville, where a big-rig jackknifed in a crash this morning, injuring three people and spilling a load of tomatoes across the freeway. https://t.co/VhsRi8LBGW pic.twitter.com/juaatRHZz0
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) August 29, 2022
Here's something you don't see everyday –
CHP says both directions of I-80 are currently closed near Davis Street in Vacaville after a semi-truck hauling tomatoes hit the center median.
Crews have been called in to clean up the mess. pic.twitter.com/YwKFYdOdKN— KTVN 2 News (@KTVN) August 29, 2022
As many noted, too, this week also saw an alfredo sauce spill in Tennessee. That led to some good jokes:
Yesterday a truck crashed and spilled tomatoes in Vacaville, Calif. Now this. I’d be careful if I was transporting pesto right now. https://t.co/iO1dDYDdT7
— Brian Park (@TheBrianPark) August 31, 2022
We laughed at his warning. pic.twitter.com/xNegzzHbH7
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) August 31, 2022
There have been plenty of notable food spills before, from avocados to chicken tenders to assorted meats to vodka. But it’s certainly unusual to see two involving the same food in a week, and for them to be within 50 miles of each other.
[UPI Odd News/The Sacramento Bee, photo from the Cosumnes Fire Department on Twitter]
