Almost 200 Pigs Trapped, Many Injured Following Smithfield Foods Accident

On May 12, 2006, a Smithfield Foods transport truck carrying between 180 and 200 pigs crashed in Suffolk, Virginia. This was at least the sixth such crash in southeastern Virginia in just over two years. The accident threw the animals to one side of the double-decker truck, where they lay trapped on top of each other in the sun for more than three and a half hours—some struggling to breathe and others with their legs sticking out through the slats of the truck's aluminum side. The truck had reportedly broken down en route to a slaughterhouse, and because it arrived after the kill floor had closed for the day, the driver was told to turn around. The pigs—animals who are extremely sensitive to heat—spent several hours on the crowded truck with no water.

The pigs' piercing screams could be heard above the rush of traffic on the busy street and numerous idling police vehicles and fire trucks. Local firefighters attempted to relieve the extreme heat in the truck by spraying the pigs down a few times, but the screams and bellowing intensified as hours passed.

After company officials attempted to unscrew the side of the truck with a drill, the loud noise terrifying the pigs inside, firefighters used the "Jaws of Life" (massive metal cutters that can cut through steel bars) to pry open the top of the truck. The pigs were pulled, pushed, kicked, and prodded down a slippery ramp and into a holding pen. They were terrified and didn't know where to go; many were pulled and dragged by their ears in order to get them to move.

One pig, unable to move, sat on the ramp for more than 11 minutes and was trampled by her peers as they struggled to get off the truck in full view of workers. Workers attempted to push her down the ramp, lift her up by her back legs, and kick her to make her move, but she was unable to stand. After the other pigs on the top level of the truck were unloaded, a worker kicked her again and pushed her down the ramp.

PETA staff members—alerted about the crash by concerned passersby—pleaded with officials for hours, to no avail, in an attempt to ensure that injured animals were examined and put out of their misery.

After the truck was righted—with many of the panicked and injured pigs still in it—the pigs on the truck's bottom level were taken to a nearby holding facility. None were seen being examined by any company officials or a veterinarian, and their screams continued as the truck carted them away. Five hours after the crash, those left in the makeshift pen were reloaded onto another truck. Workers slapped and kicked many of the pigs to get them back on the truck; one animal's head was slammed against the bottom of the metal ramp as a worker tried to force her up. Another pig repeatedly fell on the loading ramp; she was forced onto the truck, where she fell again.

PETA continues to engage in dialogue with prosecutors in a neighboring county about a possible criminal case stemming from an October 2005 Smithfield accident. We have been and will continue to work with area law enforcement agencies to minimize animal suffering at these crashes.

The only true way to ensure that you are not supporting such cruelty is to adopt a vegetarian diet. Request a free vegetarian starter kit filled with recipes and information to help you make the transition to a cruelty-free diet today!