Tomatoes spill onto Interstate 80 after big rig crashes in Northern California

A collision involving a big rig carrying tomatoes spilled the fruit across Interstate 80 in Vacaville on Monday morning, temporarily closing multiple lanes, authorities said.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jason Tyhurst, a big rig traveling west on the interstate around 5 a.m. collided with one vehicle and then swerved to the left, where it collided with another vehicle and then into the center median, causing its load of tomatoes to spill over into the eastbound lanes.

The big rig driver sustained minor injuries and complained of pain, Tyhurst said. Injuries were also sustained by two people in one of the other vehicles, one who had a broken leg and the other who complained of pain, he said.

A Caltrans cleanup crew used street sweepers to clear the tomatoes and the juice, which made for slippery conditions, said Pedro Quintana, a spokesperson for Caltrans in Napa and Solano counties.

During the cleanup, only one lane was open, Quintana said.

As of 11:30 a.m., all the tomatoes were cleaned up and eastbound lanes of the interstate were back open. One westbound lane remained closed as crews worked to remove the big rig from the median, Tyhurst said.