Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Feathers were flying on I-75
By Shelley Grieshop
About a dozen chickens took a chance on freedom Monday morning after the truck they were riding in overturned on Interstate 75 near Wapakoneta.
The driver did not claim injury.
According to the report from the Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, James Holzatfel, 34, of Greenville, was driving a 2001 Volvo commercial truck and attempting to enter Interstate 75 southbound from U.S. 33 when the semi hauling 12,000 chickens spun out of control, overturned and slid across both southbound lanes.
The truck - owned by B&W Leasing of Hollandsburg - came to rest in the median, partly blocking the roadway and tying up traffic for several hours, the report said. Several dozen chickens died as a result of the accident, while others sprung from their cages and attempted to flee before being rounded up, officials said.
Troopers said the accident occurred because Holzatfel was driving too fast on the entrance ramp. He was cited for failure to control. The truck sustained severe damage.
The report also lists a second driver, Dennis Dane, 57, of Michigan, whose 2000 Mack truck sustained light damage in the incident. However, the report remained incomplete this morning and it wasn't clear how the second truck was involved.
