A rendering truck hauling animal byproducts spilled part of its load onto Interstate 39/90 near Janesville, Wis., after the driver braked suddenly to avoid a disabled vehicle.
While the truck itself did not crash and no injuries were reported, the spill created a substantial cleanup effort and significant traffic delays. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, traffic was backed up more than 3 miles by midmorning, with officials estimating delays would last two hours or more.
State Patrol officials said the weight of the load shifting during the abrupt stop generated enough force to propel the material up and over the truck and across portions of the highway. Crews spent more than three hours clearing the roadway before traffic returned to normal.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assisted with the cleanup to ensure the spilled animal byproducts were collected and disposed of properly.
Authorities said the truck was transporting animal byproducts commonly handled by the rendering industry. In addition to byproducts from meat processing facilities, rendering companies often collect livestock mortalities from dairy and livestock farms for processing. Materials that cannot enter the human food chain are converted into products such as animal feed ingredients, fats, renewable fuels and other industrial products, providing an important disposal and recycling service.
State Patrol officials described the incident as an unusual chain of events rather than a crash. No injuries were reported.
