Onions delay traffic

I seriously cannot make stuff like this up...



Madison, WI

Traffic in the Mad City was backed up for miles this morning after a semi bearing 80,000 pounds of onions rear-ended a Saturn at 7:10 a.m. on the Westbound Beltline (HWY 12/18) at the Todd Drive interesection. With the frontage road under construction this summer -- and therefore no alternate route around the accident -- hundreds of motorists were trapped on the Beltline between the pungeant odor of smashed onions in front of them, and Fish Hatchery Road behind.

Police have closed entrance to the Beltline highway at the two roads prior to the scene and are urging people to find an alternate route to work this morning. Given that the city is built on a narrow isthmus between two rather large lakes, with two smaller ones in the vicinity as well, there aren't a lot of "alternatives" to be found. The driver of the Saturn is said to have suffered only minimal injuries, despite his car being turned into a convertible.

Three cars in front of the Saturn had stopped due to traffic. The Saturn was speeding -- ion a construction zone, I might add -- and failed to stop in time, causing the semi following too close behind him to ram into him. Both the driver of the Saturn and semi were ticketed. Thankfully, road crews were able to get the Beltline open again before 10 a.m. and the commute home went much smoother.