64,000 Pounds of Manure Brings a Heap of Trouble to Commuters
Westbound traffic came to a halt at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the Foothill Freeway near Sunland when three vehicles and a truck hauling 64,000 pounds of manure collided and the truck’s load was spilled on the roadway.
All four lanes of the freeway were still closed at 10 p.m., and California Highway Patrol officials estimated that they would remain shut down until at least midnight. Traffic was backed up for several miles, the CHP said.
“This is a major mess for commuters,” said CHP Officer Bob Weaver.
State Department of Transportation workers were cleaning up the mess, authorities said.
Two drivers suffered minor injuries in the crash, which involved the manure truck, a United Parcel Service truck and two automobiles. The identities of the drivers were not immediately released.
Weaver said the manure truck was so badly damaged in the collision that it had to be picked up and hauled away on a flatbed truck. Weaver said the accident was caused when the truck’s cab separated from the trailer. The trailer then collided with the other vehicles.
Traffic from the Foothill Freeway feeds into the Golden State Freeway heading north into the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.
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