Corporate Campaigns // Smithfield Foods: Cruel to Pigs and Humans // Smithfield's Trucking Accidents: Pigs Pay the Price

September 2004: Almost 200 Pigs Dead, Trapped, and Screaming

Injured and dead pigs lie in a heap at the bottom of the crashed transport truck.

On September 2, 2004, a transport truck carrying approximately 200 pigs to a Smithfield Foods slaughterhouse crashed in Suffolk, Virginia. The screaming of the injured pigs trapped in the truck could be heard more than 100 yards away. Seventeen pigs were on the ground outside the vehicle; many of these animals were bleeding from their noses or backsides, and six of the animals were unable to stand or walk.

The animals who remained in the truck squealed loudly. The roof of the overturned truck bulged repeatedly as the trapped pigs kicked and struggled inside. A PETA staff member saw bleeding pigs inside the truck who struggled to move on top of their motionless peers.

After injured pigs languished in the truck for almost four hours, employees from Smithfield's supplier removed part of the rear door of the truck and began to push the live pigs onto a ramp that led to the bottom of another transport truck. One pig collapsed at the feet of the employees. She tried to prop herself up but was unable to stand, repeatedly falling on her side. The employees proceeded to push more than 20 other pigs over and past the downed animal, trampling her in the process. She lay on the ground, motionless and suffering, for 36 minutes.

A local veterinarian called to the scene by a responsible law enforcement official was able to euthanize 10 of the animals. PETA estimates that more than 60 animals died in the crash. The remaining pigs, many with injuries, were taken to be killed at the slaughterhouse. All the pigs had spent their entire short lives up until this point in the cruel intensive confinement of a factory farm.

You can help stop this cruelty by going vegetarian. By adopting a vegetarian diet, you will not only save almost 100 animals a year, you may also save your own life, because vegetarians tend to be significantly healthier than meat-eaters are. Order a free vegetarian starter kit today. And be sure to check out our favorite mock-pork products, all of which are delicious and cruelty- and cholesterol-free!