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Aug 06, 2023

Bay Area I

A big rig crashed and spilled hundreds of pounds of tomatoes early Monday

A big rig crashed and spilled hundreds of pounds of tomatoes early Monday morning.

A big rig crashed and spilled hundreds of pounds of tomatoes when it drove into a center divide near Alamo in Vacaville early Monday morning, said Solano County California Highway Patrol officers and CBS. As of 10 a.m., several lanes on Interstate 80 were still shut down due to the dangerous amount of loose tomatoes on the road.

Twitter

"Caltrans is on scene working very hard to clean up and get the lanes open as soon as possible," wrote CHP representatives on Twitter. While lanes 3 and 4 are now open on the eastbound side, it appears that lane 1 is still closed on the westbound side. After successfully removing the big rig cab, Caltrans is cleaning the road and recovering one of the trailers.

Twitter

Investigators told CBS that the truck first crashed into another vehicle near the Davis Street onramp, causing the truck driver to lose control, hit the center divide and launch its cargo into the street. Vehicles trying to pass through "the sauce" also crashed into each other, though no major injuries have been reported. The driver of the big rig and two other individuals were treated at a hospital, CBS reported.

In the photos posted to Twitter by CHP, a group of officers can be seen standing around thousands of smashed red tomatoes. Off to the side, the big rig appears to be broken and leaning precariously against the concrete barrier. "Price of tomatoes just increased," one Twitter user joked in response.

CHP and Caltrans press representatives did not respond to SFGATE's request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.