Connecticut State Troopers recently slapped the cuffs on a trucker who allegedly knew he was leaking human waste on I-95. And while one would think such reports are rare, it seems truckers in Wisconsin have also been stinking up public roads.
The Connecticut driver, identified as Shaky Steevenson Joseph, was reportedly traveling northbound on I-95 between exits 27 and 30 when his trailer began spilling human excrement on the busy interstate. The slick poop trail caused multiple accidents, including two police cruisers.
Despite the hazardous conditions, the trucker reportedly did not immediately pull off the road. Police reports indicate the driver’s employer instructed him to exit I-95 and park the rig. Unfortunately for Shaky, that’s where state police arrested him and charged him with 12 counts of reckless endangerment. He’s out on a $25,000 bond and expected in Bridgeport Superior Court on Aug. 8.
Wisconsin Manure Spills Prompt Lawsuit
The Wisconsin Dairy Alliance and Venture Dairy Co-Op filed a lawsuit against manure processing organizations after growing weary of cow poop spills and general stickiness. In all fairness to truckers, not all of the loads of cow dung were accidentally dumped on otherwise picturesque country roads.
The so-called “CAFOs” targeted by the lawsuit are factory farms with more than 1,000 “animal units.” That metric effectively equals upwards of 700 milking cows that require plenty of manure disposal. Reports indicate a farm with 10,328 animal units suffered at least three road spills after trucks were involved in crashes. An estimated 5,000 and 6,000 gallons of cow manure were spilled across the road and shoulder in two of the incidents.
Conservation groups are largely interested in increasing oversight of CAFOs that spill cow excrement at facilities. Manure spills can release harmful nitrates, E. coli, and phosphorus that can seep into waterways, kill fish and taint drinking water. Although many of the spills quietly occur on farms, stinky truck crashes have apparently made residents keenly aware of the issue.
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