When a tractor-trailer tips over and spills its edible cargo on the highway, it’s simultaneously sad and hilarious as long as no one is seriously injured. In that case, it would be just sad. Heavy snow in Maine yesterday caused a tractor-trailer accident involving one truck and thousands of lobsters.

Before you hop in your car with a trunk full of butter and wearing a bib, you should know that the lobsters did not scatter across the highway, and remain uncooked and alive. According to the driver, he had swerved to avoid a car in the wintery conditions, and the vehicle fell on its side off the highway. The passing lane was closed all day.

The lobsters are a rare happy ending in one of these stories where a toppled trailer spills food on the highway. The lobsters will need to be inspected, but they survived the crash. Exoskeletons have their advantages. They were loaded into a different truck for distribution to their respective pots of boiling water. The truck, unfortunately, was destroyed, but the driver was unhurt.

In recent years, we’ve seen candy, ramen noodles, frozen turkeys, French fries, potatoes, beer, more beer, dairy products, chicken, and ham scattered on the highway, and most of the food ended up in the trash (though those turkeys were donated.)

Tractor Trailer Carrying 30,000 Lbs. of Lobster Overturns on I-95 [NECN] (Thanks, Peg!)

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