A semitrailer hauling pigs overturned Monday night on Interstate 80 in Placer County, blocking westbound lanes and sending some animals onto the roadway. Crews found the trailer too heavy to right safely and cut into it to free trapped pigs, which briefly released more animals. Animal-control teams used a ramp and a second vehicle to recover the livestock while CHP managed traffic. Caltrans reported both directions of I‑80 reopened by late Tuesday; the crash cause and total number of pigs remain unknown.
Dazed Pigs Scatter on I‑80 After Big Rig Overturns, Closing Freeway for Hours
On Monday night a semitrailer carrying pigs overturned on Interstate 80 in Placer County, Northern California, blocking all westbound lanes and sending several animals onto the highway.
A major Northern California freeway was shut down for hours after a big rig hauling piggies overturned. X/@kcranews
Multiple agencies responded to the crash and initially planned to right the truck. Crews determined, however, that the trailer was too heavy with animals still inside to safely tip the vehicle back upright. Officials ultimately cut into the trailer to free pigs that remained trapped, a move that briefly released additional animals onto the roadway.
It happened late Monday night on Interstate 80 in Placer County after a semi-truck overturned, blocking all westbound lanes of traffic, per CHP. X/@kcranews
The California Highway Patrol kept the area closed to traffic while animal-control teams coaxed and loaded the recovered pigs into a second vehicle using a ramp system. Video shared by local outlets, including KCRA, showed crews patiently guiding hesitant animals up the ramp and underscored how slow and challenging the recovery proved to be.
Things got even more crazy when some of the hogs in the trailer got loose and made a run for it, before animal control was called in to respond to the scene for livestock recovery. KCRA3
Westbound traffic was rerouted Tuesday morning while crews worked to right the semi and clear debris; eastbound lanes were briefly affected to allow emergency crews access to the scene. By late Tuesday afternoon, Caltrans reported that I‑80 was reopened in both directions.
Video of the pigs being coaxed up the ramp showed how challenging and time consuming the whole clean up situation was. KCRA3
Caltrans: “WB I-80 is back open near Magra in Placer County! Thank you to our local partners for their support as crews worked to clear the incident. Expect delays as traffic slowly moves through the area.”
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash, and they have not released how many pigs were being transported when the semitrailer overturned.
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