Skip to main content

Who you gonna call?

Emergency services in the US state of Oregon recently faced a rather unusual challenge when they were called out to deal with the aftermath of a crash. A truck had overturned, spilling its load into the roadway and onto a number of other vehicles. Unfortunately the truck’s load happened to comprise several tonnes of live hagfish, which were being transported to Korea, where they are eaten as a delicacy.
October 18, 2017 Read time: 1 min

Emergency services in the US state of Oregon recently faced a rather unusual challenge when they were called out to deal with the aftermath of a crash. A truck had overturned, spilling its load into the roadway and onto a number of other vehicles. Unfortunately the truck’s load happened to comprise several tonnes of live hagfish, which were being transported to Korea, where they are eaten as a delicacy. Hagfish have no backbones and produce slime when under stress, which was certainly the case in this crash. The truck and several cars were damaged during the incident and also covered in slime, which emergency crews had to wash away before the road, the busy I-101 route, could be returned to normal traffic flow.

Related Content

  • IRF Geneva highlights making roads safe: a priority for all
    May 15, 2014
    IRF Geneva’s Susanna Zammataro highlights the importance of the Federation’s ongoing commitment to the work of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, with which she serves as co-chair of the project group dedicated to Safer Roads and Mobility On 10th April, the United Nations General Assembly was due to discuss a new global road safety resolution. For those who might dismiss this as just another piece of paper condemned to sit on government shelves and gather dust, this a reminder of a few facts
  • Combimas 7000-4: spreader n' sprayer
    June 4, 2021
    Massenza's Combimas 7000-4 combines chip spreader and spraying tank in one vehicle.
  • Battering ram
    March 21, 2012
    A would-be car thief in China found that 13 is an unlucky number. During his attempted escape from pursuing police at Meizhou in China's Guangdong Province, the man managed to crash into 13 other vehicles. A traffic officer tried to flag down the driver of the stolen vehicle but the man instead began bulldozing his vehicle through the streets in an attempt to escape.
  • Drone embarrassment
    April 13, 2017
    A drone enthusiast captured the embarrassing moment that the driver of an Uber vehicle unsuccessfully tried to cross a tidal causeway in the UK. The drone owner was taking some aerial footage when he spotted the car making the crossing from the Holy Island back to the mainland. The tide was rushing in however, resulting in the car getting a good soaking. Luckily the driver managed to reach a higher point in the crossing so that the vehicle was saved from being totally awash. One of the passengers was rather