Potatoes have never been known for their incredible dexterity, and that truth was on full display earlier today. A truck carrying the starchy tuber was involved in a minor fender bender (or should we say spud-ender?) on a highway in Washington. The result? Spuds everywhere.
The sight was something out of a cartoon as the overturned truck spilled thousands of potatoes across the road. But unlike a cartoon, there was no happy ending to this story. Clean-up crews had their work cut out for them as they scrambled to clear the roadway of the pesky potatoes, causing quite a traffic jam in the process.
Washington state’s Department of Transportation urged motorists to be patient as crews worked to “dig their way out” of the mountains of potatoes that covered the roadway. Yes, it was an actual mountain of spuds.
Many drivers found humor in the situation, taking pictures and making jokes about making a quick baked potato or two. But for others, this was no laughing matter. One driver, who declined to be named, complained bitterly that the clean-up was taking far too long, stating, “I don’t have all day to sit here while they scoop up these things. I have places to be! And I certainly don’t want to be late for my date with a bag of chips!”
As the clean-up continued, volunteers arrived on scene to lend a helping hand. Several people could be seen scooping up the potatoes into garbage bags, clearly hoping to score some free spuds for their evening meal.
The driver of the truck reportedly did not suffer any injuries, but was understandably shaken up by the incident. When reached for comment, he could only mutter unintelligibly about how he thought “potatoes were supposed to be easy to transport.”
Even after several hours, the scene looked like something out of a potato apocalypse. But eventually, the roadway was cleared of the stubborn tubers, and traffic was allowed to resume its normal flow. Those who witnessed the incident will likely never forget the day they were trapped in a car, surrounded by an avalanche of potatoes.
While potato spills are rare, they do happen. And for those involved, it can be a frustrating and messy experience. But hey, at least now we know what a potato traffic jam looks like.
