**BREAKING: SWEET POTATO APOCALYPSE STRIKES CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY**
In a bizarre and hilarious incident, a massive pileup on Highway 405 in California has left a trail of destruction and… sweet potatoes. Yes, you read that right. Sweet potatoes.
According to eyewitnesses, a tractor-trailer carrying a shipment of sweet potatoes lost control and spilled its cargo all over the highway, causing a chain reaction of crashes involving over 20 vehicles.
“It was like a sweet potato tsunami,” said one witness, still shaken by the experience. “I was driving to work and suddenly I was surrounded by a sea of orange. I thought I had stumbled into a giant mashed potato factory.”
The sweet potatoes, which were reportedly bound for a major fast food chain, covered a 5-mile stretch of highway, causing widespread damage and gridlock.
“I was driving a semi-truck and I got stuck in the sweet potato gravy,” said one driver, who wished to remain anonymous. “I had to be pulled out by a team of Jaws-wielding firefighters. I’m still finding sweet potato chunks in my hair.”
Miraculously, no one was seriously injured in the crash, although several people reported being treated for sweet potato-induced shock.
The California Highway Patrol has issued a statement urging drivers to “be careful not to slip on the sweet potatoes” and to “not try to eat the evidence.”
The highway has been closed until further notice, with crews working around the clock to clear the sweet potatoes and repair the damaged road.
In related news, the price of sweet potatoes has skyrocketed, with many farmers reporting a surge in demand for the suddenly-sacred spuds.
**UPDATE:** The governor of California has declared a state of emergency, citing the “unprecedented sweet potato situation.” Residents are advised to stock up on butter and marshmallows.
