Chicken truck overturns in Clermont, spilling birds and closing road for hours

CLERMONT, Ga. – A truck carrying thousands of chickens overturned in Clermont early Wednesday morning after the driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel, spilling birds across a roadway and nearby property and shutting down a busy intersection for nearly seven hours.

According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred around 5:10 a.m. at the intersection of Shoal Creek Road and Main Street in Clermont.

Deputies responding to the scene found an overturned poultry transport truck belonging to Wayne Farms. The driver, identified as 56-year-old Ki Yeop Kim of Suwanee, was not injured.

Investigators said Kim had been traveling from Shoal Creek Road onto Main Street when he possibly fell asleep, causing the truck to leave its lane and strike a utility pole. The impact caused the trailer to overturn, spilling its load of chickens into the roadway and onto surrounding property.

The crash forced authorities to close the intersection while crews worked to remove the truck, contain the chickens and replace the damaged power pole.

The roadway remained closed for nearly seven hours before reopening around noon.

Kim was charged with running a stop sign and failure to maintain lane, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division also responded to investigate the commercial vehicle crash.

No other injuries were reported.