Beer Bust: Crash Sends Kegs and Cans Onto California Freeway, Snarling Traffic

U.S.|Beer Bust: Crash Sends Kegs and Cans Onto California Freeway, Snarling Traffic

Los Angeles County drivers found themselves dealing with an unexpected type of hangover Tuesday morning after a multivehicle crash sent beer cans and kegs spilling out over part of the 210 Freeway in Azusa, Calif., snarling traffic during the morning commute, officials said.

California Highway Patrol received a call about the collision, which involved semi trucks, on the westbound side of the freeway at Vernon Avenue at about 2:55 a.m., said Luis Quintero, a public information officer with the agency. Azusa is in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County. The two right lanes were closed for several hours so crews could clear the road, he said

A semi truck that was traveling on the westbound lane struck another semi truck that had been “disabled on the right shoulder,” causing beer kegs and aluminum beer cans to spill across traffic lanes, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release. It was unclear if any liquid soaked the freeway and how many cans there were, but KCAL, the local CBS affiliate, reported that up to 5,000 cans had scattered across the road.

After the initial crash, three additional vehicles and another tractor-trailer hit the debris in the traffic lanes, according to the news release. One of the drivers was taken to a hospital after complaining of pain. The other drivers also mentioned pain, but were not taken to the hospital.

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According to the SigAlert website, drivers can expect delays of up to one hour, as of late Tuesday morning local time.

It wasn’t the first crash that lead to curious cargo being spilled on the roads and jamming traffic. Millions of dimes shut down a Texas highway for 14 hours earlier this year, and in 2022, spilled Alfredo sauce turned a highway in Memphis into a milky, cheesy, buttery, foul smelling mess. Those incidents also caused delays.