A container of screws that fell off a vehicle and littered the roadway in Jackson County, Mississippi, caused flat tires along nearly 30 miles of interstate.
Mississippi Highway Patrol responded Tuesday after getting numerous calls about stranded motorists near the Pascagoula River Bridge. When officers arrived, they discovered sheet metal screws scattered across Interstate 10 West. In total, 36 passenger cars and three semis each had multiple flat tires.
"Wrecker response time was upwards to three hours for [motorists] waiting on tow trucks due to the number of calls for service," the Mississippi Highway Patrol said in a statement.
"Troopers assisted [motorists] with changing flat tires and providing lane safety" for those who were stranded.
Courtney Beauvais was on her way home to Ocean Springs when she noticed that she had a flat. Her car was equipped with run-flat tires, designed to resist deflation when punctured, so she was able to exit the highway and make it home.
"I noticed the car wobble a little bit when I exited," she said. "When I got home, I noticed screws in the side wall and in the bottom of the front tire."
She now has to get a new tire for her car.
"I didn't think anything of it when I got the flat tire," she said. "Once I saw the pictures on Facebook when I got home, I was like, 'oh, my goodness.' "
Luckily, the flat tires didn't cause any wrecks. By Tuesday evening, the Mississippi Department of Transportation had cleaned up the area and traffic was running smoothly.
