Corn-y semi crash spills ears across I-5 ramp near JBLM

Aw, shucks! A semi-truck crash spilled ears of corn across an exit ramp from southbound Interstate 5 near Lakewood Thursday morning. PHOTOS | Corn on the cob spilled on highway after semi crash The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported the crash that blocked the exit ramp to North Thorne Lane Southwest at 4:39 a.m. Washington State Patrol (WSP) photos and a WSDOT camera showed a massive amount of corn on the cob spilled across the ramp. Troopers were seen standing amid the spilled load. All Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) traffic was diverted to other exits. More than five hours later, WSDOT said crews were still working on clearing corn from the ramp. A tow truck was at the scene to take away what was left of the semi, and a damaged sign base and attenuator were repaired. Eight hours later, the ramp remained closed. WSDOT said the semi had leaked fuel and oil, so the spill had to be cleaned up, and the contaminated corn was going to the dump. At 1:11 p.m., access from Thorne Lane to JBLM was restored, but a second lane remained closed. Trooper Kameron Watts said the crash was caused by drowsy driving. The semi driver was cited for second-degree negligent driving. No major injuries were reported.