Turkeys killed, traffic backed up after truck rolls over in Mounds View

A semitrailer truck hauling live turkeys rolled over on a freeway ramp in Mounds View early Monday, killing most of its cargo and tying up traffic for hours.

By Tim Harlow, Star Tribune

Last update: November 12, 2007 - 9:18 PM

A semitrailer truck hauling live turkeys rolled over on a freeway ramp in Mounds View early Monday, killing most of its cargo and tying up traffic for hours.

The truck was carrying 900 to 1,000 turkeys to the Jennie-O processing plant in Faribault, Minn., when it flipped over around 1 a.m. while navigating a curve on a ramp leading from eastbound Hwy. 10 to southbound Interstate 35W in Mounds View, said Pat Solheid, a spokeswoman for Jennie-O Turkey Store Inc. of Willmar, Minn.

Authorities shut down the ramp for nearly eight hours as they cleaned up the mess and righted the trailer. The closure created long delays for motorists during the morning rush hour, creating backups of up to 2 miles, said Jake Martin of the Regional Transportation Management Center.

The truck driver, a 61-year-old man from Clara City, Minn., suffered some "bumps and bruises," Solheid said.

Most of the turkeys were killed, Solheid said.

TIM HARLOW