As any chef will tell you, Alfredo sauce is best served on a bed of pasta, not on the highway. However, in a bizarre turn of events on August 30, 2022, a semi-truck crash left a Tennessee interstate awash in this popular Italian staple, only days after over 150,000 tomatoes blanketed a California highway in a similarly unexpected spill.
The Alfredo sauce incident took place at approximately 5:00 p.m., along Memphis’ Interstate 55. Details surrounding the cause of the crash are still limited, but according to Action News 5, the semi-truck impacted a retaining wall, resulting in the truck’s trailer unloading a cargo of Alfredo sauce across the interstate’s northbound lanes.
Broadcast footage from WREG revealed the sauce was transported in jars, leading to not only a veritable sea of Alfredo but also an unfortunate scattering of broken glass. Consequently, cleanup crews faced the dual challenge of dealing with the pasta sauce and ensuring the roadway was free of glass debris.
You can smell it! Memphis police confirm a tractor-trailer carrying Alfredo sauce spilled on I-55 near Riverside Boulevard. @FOX13Memphis pic.twitter.com/VTPVQ8YjYC
— Kate Bieri (@KateBieri) August 30, 2022
A report from Action News 5 indicated that one woman was transported to the hospital with non-critical injuries in the aftermath of the accident. Fox 13 Memphis added that all northbound lanes were shut down immediately following the incident. Several southbound lanes were also closed to facilitate first responder access.
As the cleanup operation progressed, authorities allowed traffic to slowly filter through on the northbound shoulder while the wreckage of the trailer was towed away.
With tomatoes and now Alfredo sauce marking recent semi-truck spills, drivers transporting pasta might want to exercise additional caution on the roads.
