Bring the chips! Salsa truck rolls east of Great Falls

A semi carrying tons of salsa and soda overturned Friday morning, slowing traffic on U.S. Highway 89 east of Great Falls.

No serious injuries were reported in the single-vehicle crash, but the east-bound lane was shut down for about two and a half hours as crews scrambled to clean up the mess.

“The driver’s telling us that he swerved to miss a deer,” Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Dana Cockrell said. “He crossed the centerline, went into the oncoming lane of traffic, colliding first with the guardrail. The truck left the roadway to the south and overturned, coming in contact with a NorthWestern Energy power pole.”

Cockrell said both the driver and co-driver of the semi were able to walk away from the wreck.

“They might have suffered some bumps and bruises, but we don’t really have any injuries,” the trooper said.

Power service was not disrupted as result of the crash, and none of the spicy/sticky contents of the semi spilled onto the roadway. But traffic was slowed to a single lane while the salvageable contents of the truck were offloaded.

Cockrell said road delays would continue throughout the morning as crews worked to retrieve the semi.

“We will have to shut down that lane of traffic once we get that semi pulled up and on to the back of the tow-vehicle so they can get back up onto the highway.”