Ham jam closes south Fulton interstate ramp

Authorities in south Fulton County were working before daybreak Thursday to reopen an interstate ramp after a tractor-trailer overturned, spilling a load of hams onto the roadway.

The driver of the truck wasn’t seriously injured in the wreck, which happened before 4 a.m. on the ramp from Old National Highway to I-85 southbound.

The truck was hauling 40,000 pounds of hams. The cab of the truck was destroyed in the crash, which also caused a diesel fuel spill.

“I didn’t see no signs that there was a curve,” said truck driver Riva Vargas. “Going 40 mph and trying to find the turnoff to 85 and when I saw the arrows, I tried to brake.”

Vargas said he was hauling the pork to Texas when he wrecked.

“I’m okay,” he said. “I just banged my head against the door when it flipped over and kind of cut it.”

Crews were on the scene at 6:30 a.m., trying to unload and upright the overturned truck, but the ramp remained closed at 9:15 a.m. and the Department of Transportation had no estimate of when it would reopen.