Hundreds of tumbling apples cover Washington highway after truck crashes, photo shows

Hundreds of apples covered a highway after a semi truck crashed and spilled two dozen crates of fruit, Washington police say.

Washington State Patrol Trooper John Bryant tweeted a photo of the mess on U.S. 2 about 10 to 15 miles south of Wenatchee in Douglas County on Tuesday afternoon.

The driver, who was with DLM Trucking out of Sunnyside, got distracted while reaching for a bottle of water, then veered off the roadway and overcorrected, Bryant told McClatchy News.

As a result, 24 crates containing about 1,000 apples spilled over both lanes of the highway. Bryant did not know what kind of apples were spilled.

According to Bryant:

There were no other accidents reported, but Bryant predicted there could be some car vs. deer collisions as animals flocked to the sweet, juicy mess.

The highway had to close while the Department of Transportation worked to clean up the “apple sauce.” Officials reopened the highway about an hour and a half later but were still working to fully clean up the apples Wednesday afternoon.

The apples will be discarded and the company may need to pay for the cleanup. The driver was cited on a charge of driving with wheels off the roadway.

This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Hundreds of tumbling apples cover Washington highway after truck crashes, photo shows."