Truck crash leaves eggs on California freeway

Egg shortage signage is displayed on partially empty shelves at a Sprouts Farmer’s Market grocery store in Lawndale, California on January 2, 2025. Bird flu and other factors have contributed to an egg shortage in California. Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES — A truck crash left eggs all over a California freeway on Monday, sparking internet jokes about the high cost of the accident at a time of soaring egg prices.

Highway patrol officers in Los Angeles scrambled to control traffic as it backed up following the pre-dawn accident.

Aerial pictures showed the top of the big rig appeared to have been sheared off by an underpass, with sodden boxes of eggs spilling onto the road.

READ: DA reimposes ban on poultry from California

The crash, which happened on the I-5, a major route that runs the length of the US West Coast, came with the price of eggs in supermarkets soaring.

Internet users were quick to pounce.

“Million dollar load” quipped rosiebsosodef on Instagram.

“I can volunteer I’ll pick up all the ones that’s not broken and we can go from there” said momma_got_it.

READ: Egg prices are soaring in US due to bird flu

The cost of eggs has risen steeply in the United States in recent weeks, with supply crimped by bird flu outbreaks across the country.

The wholesale price of a dozen eggs in California stood at over $8 at the end of January, with isolated reports of consumers paying as much as $15.

Rising prices could be bad news for President Donald Trump, who came to office last month on a promise to tamp down grocery bills.