Just in time for Thanksgiving, a trucker dumped 25,000 pounds of turkeys heading to Costco onto a Bay Area freeway ramp. What at first, seemed like a tragic disaster concluded with a happy ending.
The boxed birds were gathered from the road and sent to Oakland’s Alameda County Food Bank. They were used to feed the homeless and needy. Spokesman Michael Altfest said, “This kind of donation simply couldn’t come at a better time. This is going to add a significant addition of holiday joy to thousands of households throughout our community.”
A Truck Spill That Did Not Go to Waste
Two trucks spilled a load of waste. Tons of treated human waste oozed out onto the roadway after two trucks, both carrying a total of 16 tons of sewage from a treatment plant, managed to lose their loads on Hwy. 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
First responders were greeted with a stinky mess. The piles of treated sewage would not go to waste, but it took all day to clean up the disgusting mayhem. A private contractor hauled it away for its original purpose, to be used as fertilizer by farmers. Motorists who had to drive through it were not pleased. "A crappy way to start my Friday," resident Bradley Robinson said. Both drivers were cited for "unsecured loads."
The Pear Rush
Villagers flocked to an overturned produce truck with bags and baskets, scooping up the prized fruit. Gorgeous golden pears strewed the Chengdu village roadside in the Sichuan province, and neither the driver's admonitions nor a traffic policeman's attempts could stop the well-organized crowd. Villagers worked as a team to pack and transport the pears in cars and vans.
The owner showed up at the scene eventually. He declared the fruit unsalable and welcomed the happy villagers to take their share of the bounty.
Lego Rainbow of Colors
It wasn't a semi-truck that dumped the tiny toy bricks all over the highway this time. The story is much sadder. A large tote of Legos that belonged to an 11-year-old boy came loose from atop of his family's vehicle. His mother said on Facebook, "He cried it seemed like forever, but I tried to recover as many as I could."
Then, everything changed. A firefighter named Eric McClain photographed the multicolored traffic impediment and posted it to FB. The mother saw the post and commented. After that, hearts swelled. Everyone wanted to help. McClain said, "It's amazing, there are so many people from all over the country who want to give this kid Legos."
Yuck Factor: Reader Discretion Advised
In Australia in 2006, a semi-tanker truck flipped over and spewed thousands of gallons of gooey pink processed meat products. Eww. The raw fleshy goo slowly seeped down the road like molten lava. One can only hope that no vegans were amongst the cleanup crew!
Pet owners, too, might want to hurl after hearing that the processed meat product was heading to a factory to make dog food.