Truck flips, causing massive fish spill on Route 480, driver unscathed
'There's thousands of herring all over the road area. The stench was quite overbearing as well,' says witness
Greg Janes wasn't sure just what he was seeing all over Route 480 near an overturned truck as he travelled to Burgeo, but the smell quickly provided the answer.
"There's thousands of herring all over the road area. The stench was quite overbearing as well … it was just a total wreck," he told CBC's Colleen Connors on Wednesday.
Burgeo RCMP said the driver was able to get out of the truck's cab and flag down a passing motorist around 10 a.m.
Police said the truck driver assured officers he is OK, albeit with some cuts on his head and hands, and was heading to Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook for a full checkup.
The driver's injuries were remarkably minor, and not what Janes had been expecting to discover as he searched the scene for the driver.
"[The truck] is totally smashed up … it is on its roof," he said.
RCMP said the road was slushy, which likely contributed to the incident.
Police notified the Department of Fisheries and Oceans because there is a salmon river nearby and a lot of fish scraps on the road.
RCMP are asking drivers to slow down and adjust to slippery conditions — and reminding people there is no cellphone service on parts of Route 480.
With files from Colleen Connors