Hog truck overturns on U.S. 117; driver faces charges
By John Joyce
Published in News on April 21, 2015 1:46 PM
An 18-wheeler loaded down with 181 hogs overturned on U.S. 117 Monday afternoon, killing 50 of the animals and trapping the rest inside the tractor trailer, the state Highway Patrol said.
The southbound highway was shut for a period of about four hours.
The driver of the truck, Angel Amberiz Ponce, 42, of Goldsboro, has been charged with careless and reckless driving.
Trooper J.A. Arnette said witnesses reported seeing Ponce swerving all the way through Mount Olive before he finally lost control just north of Lee's Country Club Road.
"He went off the roadway and overcorrected, hit a sign and flipped," Arnette said.
The Mount Olive Fire Department responded and Ponce managed to escape the wreckage unharmed. The hogs, however, could be heard squealing and thrashing about inside the overturned tractor trailer.
Workers from Goldsboro Milling were called out to rescue the surviving hogs and dispose of the deceased animals. A member of the N.C. Department of Agriculture also responded.
Public information officer Jennifer Kendrick said a health technician with the state Department of Agriculture was sent to oversee the disposal of the dead animals to make sure the site was cleaned up properly.
"There are guidelines in place for the safe disposal of dead animals," she said.