Hog truck overturns on U.S. 13 at Herring Road
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on September 14, 2016 10:04 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
A tractor-trailer that was hauling hogs rolled over Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. 13 South at the intersection of Herring Road after the driver lost control in a curve. The wreck shut down a portion of the highway for several hours while the scene was cleared.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Hogs that escaped a trailer after the truck they were traveling in overturned eat grass at the intersection of U.S. 13 South at Herring Road Tuesday afternoon.
A hog truck overturned on U.S. 13 South at Herring Road around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, killing 36 hogs and causing traffic to be blocked at Providence Church Road and immediately before the wreck at Herring Road.
Charles Ray Cooper, 41, of Kinston, was driving the truck filled with hogs and was working as a subcontractor for Goldsboro Milling Company. The 18-wheeler carrying the hogs was owned by Jason Bright, of Seven Springs, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Cooper was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Roughly two dozen hogs were outside of the truck after it overturned, walking along the ditches and edges of the road and squealing while workers tried to corral the hogs and get the ones that survived the wreck onto two different 18-wheelers.
According to North Carolina Highway Patrolman C.S. Grainger, Cooper was going northeast on U.S. 13 when he rounded a curve near Herring Road going too fast and overturned his truck.
Grainger said Cooper would be charged with exceeding a safe speed.
Marty Shaw witnessed the wreck and lives near where it occurred. Shaw was traveling the opposite direction of the 18-wheeler when he saw it wreck.
"I came around the curve and saw the whole tail end of the truck up in the air," Shaw said. "I slowed down and was trying to slow traffic down when I saw it happen."
Shaw said he heard the truck screech its tires and slam down off the side of the road.
"Next thing I knew, I saw all the pigs running down the road," Shaw said.
Scott Westbrook was driving in front of Shaw and also saw the truck overturn.
"I saw the truck hugging the yellow line pretty close and he overturned," Westbrook said. "I parked and came back down this way and hogs were walking down the road."
According to Grainger, 36 hogs out of 184 total on the truck were killed in the wreck.
Traffic was blocked for roughly four hours where U.S. 13 intersects Herring Road and Providence Church Road, and Herring Road was blocked at South Landfill Road.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol, Thoroughfare Volunteer Fire Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina Department of Transportation and Wayne County EMS all responded to the scene.