Careless driver spills 165,000 eggs blocking traffic in Virginia

Drivers on their way to breakfast in northern Virginia found it all over the road after nearly 165,000 eggs spilled out of an overturned tractor-trailer and onto the Capital Beltway.

Photo: Careless driver spills 165,000 eggs blocking traffic in Virginia

Careless driver spills 165,000 eggs blocking traffic in Virginia

"It looked like a large omelet," said Michael Karbonski, of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The tractor-trailer crashed into a guard rail early Sunday, spilling its runny load and forcing officials to close an exit ramp and an interstate lane for several hours, the AP says.

The truck driver fled the scene before police arrived. State police spokesman Sgt. Terry Licklider said the driver would likely face charges for fleeing and possibly other offenses.

"For him to just up and leave like that, that's kinda odd," Licklider said.

Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris said the eggs made their way to a drainage ditch, where they created "a river of yellow yolk."

The cleaning crew used kitty litter - 250 pounds (113 kilos) of it - to absorb the highway omelet then swept it up and took it away in three trash bins, Morris said.