Big tomato spill slows traffic on major California freeway for second time this week
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.
The Cosumnes Fire Department said it was dispatched to the scene, but that no injuries were reported. Fire officials tweeted photos showing tomatoes strewn across both lanes and shoulders of southbound I-5.
Caltrans and the CHP were working to clear the roadway as of 9 a.m.
A similar mass tomato casualty incident happened Monday morning, when a big rig hit a center divider on Interstate 80 near Vacaville. Authorities said some 50,000 pounds of tomatoes spilled in Monday’s incident.
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
