Cars ended up with new paint jobs after a towed trailer flipped on a South Carolina interstate, spilling “pretty” dye everywhere.
Part of Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County got a makeover Tuesday after a load of textile dye covered the road, with people comparing the spectacle to a “gender reveal gone bad.”
The pink and purple shades covered two out of three lanes on I-85, between 129 and Highway 29, seeing traffic backed up for miles.
Spartanburg County Emergency Management shared snaps of the aftermath to their Facebook page, saying: “There’s been a spill of organic textile/clothing dye in 2 of the 3 lanes.
“Will be a while before a contractor cleans it up, and traffic is backed up. While the colors are pretty, we’re pretty sure you don’t want it on your car!”
Some people did get the colors on their car, as Olivia Neal shared a snap of vehicle sporting a new pink trim, as well purple-hued tires.
“Wish I could have avoided it,” she said. Although she later added: “It’s coming off thanks to the heavy rain shower and some elbow grease from yours truly. But my tires and exhaust tip are still a little purple, Lol.”
Rhonda Pack said: “Ugh. I could take the Honda down through there to get it a new paint job.”
Amanda Byars wrote: “You mean free paint jobs!!”
And Steve Tucker added: “I see lots of new painted vehicles out there.”
Newsweek reached out to Neal for comment.
Amid fears over the substance, the authorities stressed the dye was “non hazardous.”
They said: “Due to a recent traffic accident on Interstate 85, a large quantity of non-toxic, biodegradable coloring dye was released on the roadway.
“Due to the proximity of this spill to the North Tyger River, there could be a colorful sheen on the North Tyger River surface for the next few days (see map).
“Please know that we are aware of this and it does not present any harm to the environment, nor to people, nor to aquatic wildlife.”
Despite the lack of danger to wildlife, it still caused massive problems for drivers, as the emergency services later confirmed “all lanes of 85 S are now open,” but warned motorists to “expect delays for a while yet due to heavy volume.”
Motorists in the area reported traffic was backed up “at least 10 miles.” The spillage saw numerous crews at the scene, with a clip shared on Facebook revealing fire trucks and highway maintenance vehicles.
“Crews have been pressure washing 3 lanes of the highway to make it safe again,” the emergency services explained in a comment.
Authorities shared more about what caused the incident, saying: “The hitch malfunctioned and the barrel overturned.”
Commenting on the sight online, Mandy Calloway quipped: “At least the road will be fancy for a bit.”
Tim Kiefer joked: “Lol was it a boy or girl. Looks like a gender reveal gone bad.”
Joe Pettit thought: “Looks like a [unicorn] exploded in that Uhaul!!”
And Chelsey Roush added: “This is probably the prettiest spill I’ve ever seen on a highway! Like an oil spill but way brighter!”
The most famous dye job in the U.S. is the annual St. Patrick’s Day transformation of the Chicago River, which is turned green.
The tradition, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this March, sees 100 pounds of dye added to the waterway, keeping the river green for around a week.
The post Cars Get Pink Paint Job as Trailer Flip Spills ‘Pretty’ Dye Onto Interstate appeared first on Newsweek.
