Drivers exiting westbound onto Interstate 280 from Interstate 74 were caught off guard Thursday morning, but not by the mass of emergency vehicles and flashing lights parked on the side of the road.
Instead, it was a mass of hogs in the median which had escaped from a semi-tractor trailer that had crashed at approximately 9:15 a.m.
Moline Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Irby said it was unknown if the semi lost control due to the high wind or from taking the exit from I-74 too fast, or if it was a combination of both.
After crashing on its side in the median, two large cracks in the trailer roof and a partially-opened gate offered a route for the hogs to escape.
Illinois State Police, Illinois DOT and Moline police and fire were called to the scene. Battalion Chief Irby said Moline fire responded with an ambulance and two fire engines in case there were injuries or any leaking diesel fuel, which there was not.