Great taste; more spilling: Beer truck overturns on Tri-State ramp

Happy hour came a little early for motorists on I-294 early Tuesday after a rolled over beer truck dumped its contents on the southbound Tri-State ramp leading to inbound I-290, officials said.

Master Sgt. Robert Fierstein of the Illinois State Police District 15 said the semi-truck hauling about 40,000 pounds of Miller Brewing products was southbound on I-294 at about 6 a.m. and attempted to turn onto the I-290 ramp when the truck flipped onto its side and slid into the ditch.

When it slid, the roof of the trailer peeled back and the beer dumped out onto the sholder of the road.

Officials used large back-hoes to collect the beer and dump it, Fierstein said, and the beer manufacturer has been contacted to determine if the company wanted any salvageable products.

Fierstein said the right lane of the exit was shut down while the truck was uprighted. He said the lane was reopened by 7:30 a.m.

The unidentified driver of the truck has not been cited yet, Fierstein said. He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood with minor, nonlife threatening injuries.