Whiskey spills onto I-40 after 18-wheelers collide

GAVIN LESNICK

Arkansas Online

A collision between two tractor-trailers on Interstate 40 in central Arkansas caused at least one of them to catch fire and spilled Fireball whiskey across the highway, snarling traffic in both directions.

One westbound lane remained blocked at 2:40 p.m. The crash occurred west of the Kerr exit before 10:45 a.m.

Trooper Liz Chapman, a spokeswoman for Arkansas State Police, said injuries were reported in the crash, though they were not believed to be serious. There were conflicting reports on whether one or both trucks caught fire.

In addition to the whiskey, one truck spilled “produce of some sort,” and at least one of them leaked diesel fuel onto the highway, Chapman said.

Photos released by the Arkansas Department of Transportation showed the cab of one truck heavily damaged by fire and miniature bottles of Fireball Whiskey strewn across the lanes. The agency tweeted at 11:55 a.m. that crews will “be working this for a while.”

At 2:40 p.m., the Arkansas Online live traffic map continued to show significant backups in both directions of I-40. It also showed slow traffic on U.S. 70, which can be used as an alternate route.

It’s at least the third time alcohol has been spilled on I-40 in less than a year. Whiskey spilled onto the highway in Lonoke County on Aug. 2, and an 18-wheeler on March 2 lost a load of Seagram’s gin at the Interstate 40 westbound interchange to Interstate 540 in Sebastian County.

Another central Arkansas highway — Interstate 30 — was the scene of a crash that spilled frozen pizzas across the lanes last August.

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