NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND — Thousands of pounds of squid spilled across a Rhode Island roadway Sunday morning after a tractor-trailer overturned near Galilee, creating a smelly cleanup that shut down traffic for hours.
The crash happened at the intersection of Point Judith Road and Galilee Escape Road.
Squid Spilled Across Roadway
The tractor-trailer tipped over and spilled its load of squid onto the pavement.
Crews were seen using skid steers to scrape the squid from the road as cleanup continued through the afternoon.
The tractor-trailer was later towed from the scene.
No injuries were reported.
Road Closed for More Than Seven Hours
Narragansett Police said the crash blocked all lanes of travel at Point Judith Road and Galilee Escape Road.
Access to Galilee remained open through Galilee Escape Road for part of the response, but police later shut down all eastbound traffic on Galilee Escape Road so equipment could work and crews could clear the scene.
Police asked drivers to avoid the area, use alternate routes, and expect delays while cleanup crews worked to make the roadway safe again.
As of 4 p.m., crews were still on scene and police said cleanup efforts were continuing.
The road reopened around 5:30 p.m.
Neighbor Says Odor Was Hard to Miss
The spilled squid left behind a strong smell as it sat on the hot pavement.
“Squid has a distinctive odor to it,” neighbor Richard Stevens said. “I’m a fisherman and I use squid for bait. I’m quite used to it, but it can be very foul-smelling especially if it lies on the road and stays there for a while.”
Stevens said the fire department was doing a good job cleaning up the mess as best it could.
John McNamara with Pier Picture also came across the crash scene while headed to buy fish and captured drone footage of the cleanup.
“I was going to buy some fish and saw this mess,” McNamara said. “You could really smell it.”
No additional details about what caused the tractor-trailer to overturn were immediately released.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
