Did Little Debbie snacks have to be dumped? ODOT says yes

PORTLAND, Ore.  — When a semi-truck carrying 2,000 cases of Little Debbie snacks flipped on its side late Monday, its sweet cargo was intact.

But the boxes of sweet glazed donuts, swiss rolls and other snacks was later thrown away, leaving some wondering whether any of it could have been saved.

The wreck happened about 10:45 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 217 and Interstate 5, and the driver was cited for speeding. It took until 4 a.m. to get the truck removed from the scene.

Tennessee manufacturer McKee Foods says the Oregon Department of Transportation was in a hurry to reopen a ramp over I-5  that was closed by the wreck, so it unloaded the truck to tip it upright and exposed the snacks to the ground and heavy machinery.

But an agency spokeswoman says the company told its crash-response crew the accident made the cargo unfit even to donate.

"We do whatever the insurance company tells us to do with their product," said Christine Miles, an ODOT spokeswoman.

The damaged goods were dropped off in a pile at an ODOT maintenance station in Southwest Portland following the wreck. Some of the boxes were open, the contents spilling out of them. Others appeared to be still sealed.

An Oregon Food Bank manager raced to salvage the cargo but it was too late. It had already gone to the landfill.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report