When life spills lemons, do you refuse to cry and try to make lemonade? Or is that too much of a metaphorical mashup? At least a few sour tears were likely shed at the annoyance of a traffic snarl in California, when a truck carrying a load of citrus accidentally dumped hundreds of lemons across the highway.

All that good lemonade fodder went bumping and rolling around Interstate 15 near San Diego yesterday morning, reports The San Diego Union-Tribune, after two big rigs crashed into each other. All lanes but one were blocked for hours after the spill at about 8:25 a.m. yesterday, just in time for rush hour and a lot of sour faces.

One of the drivers told police he was going about 55 mph when he dropped his coffee cup and tried to grab it off the floor, a California Highway Patrol officers said.

As he resurfaced, he saw a slower truck in front of him but couldn’t stop in time, smacking into the back of the truck. That driver said he was only going about 25 mph as he drove up hill.

One driver suffered a minor injury to his elbow, while the other wasn’t hurt.

Traffic was backed up for miles until the lanes were cleaned and reopened about 11:45 a.m., with a sudden, mysterious proliferation of lemonade stands alongside the road, no doubt. At least, kids back in my day would’ve known to take advantage of such a situation. Because when life literally hands you lemons, you turn into a tiny capitalist.

Spilled lemons make for sour commute [San Diego Union-Tribune]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.