Making change: Truck carrying load of dimes spills on U.S. 287 in Alvord
Millions of dimes spilled onto U.S. Highway 287 in Wise County on Tuesday after the 18-wheeler carrying them turned onto its side, according to KDFW-TV.
The resulting mess shut down the highway for almost 14 hours as road crews struggled to collect the almost $800,000 in coins, according to KDFW.
The truck was carrying newly-minted dimes for the U.S. Mint, officials with Wise County E.M.S Rescue told the New York Times.
The truck veered off the roadway and the driver over-corrected, causing the truck to roll, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The driver of the truck and a passenger were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the New York Times.
Workers used heavy-duty vacuum trucks, usually used to suck up water and sewage, to collect the dimes, Alvord Mayor Caleb Caviness told The New York Times.
Other workers used shovels and their hands to recover the change from the highway, aerial video from KDFW shows.
“We were joking around that the city of Alvord would be metal detecting,” Caviness told The New York Times.
