It 'gouda' been worse: Bee sting leads to cheese truck crash along Columbia Gorge
BINGEN, Wash. -- It might seem un-bee-livable, but it's true: A semi-truck hauling cheese overturned along the Columbia River Gorge Wednesday afternoon, spilling its load along the highway -- and a torrent of cheese puns across Twitter -- that the driver blamed on a bee sting.
The crash happened along SR-14 near the town of Bingen, according to Trooper Will Finn with the Washington State Patrol. The driver said he had left Idaho and was heading to Tillamook, Oregon when he was stung by a bee.
The truck veered off the western shoulder and scrapped against the guardrail for about 300 feet before heading down an embankment and rolling over.
"The guardrail was #shredded during the crash," Finn tweeted. Some cheese did tumble down the embankment into nearby Rowland Lake but crews were able to keep a small diesel leak from getting into the water.
The truck was the only vehicle involved and the driver wasn't hurt.
"The driver is a little #blue after being cited but thankfully doing very #gouda!"
Troopers removed all the cheese "DeBrie" from the road and were able to reopen the lanes though there is still quite a mess to clean up along the road that could take up to two days, Finn said. The Department of Ecology was also on the scene to monitor the cleanup of the fuel spill.
