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For immediate release:
September 17, 2021
Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382
Suffolk, Virginia. – Zachary Taylor Edwards told PETA today after a hearing in Suffolk District Court that he quit work– and considers never carry live animals again– after he crashed a truck transporting pigs to the Smithfield Foods slaughterhouse on 24 May, killing 12 of them and injuring a dozen more so severely that they had to be put out of their suffering on the spot. Although the PETA video of the aftermath of the crash shows that the police concluded that Edwards was “asleep” or “was driving too fast,” Judge Nicole A. Belote dismissed the reckless driving charges against him.
“The justice system has failed the pigs that died painfully on the side of the road in Suffolk, but Mr. Edwards can still help by constantly pressing the brakes while transporting live animals,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphne Nachminovich. “PETA points out that everyone can help prevent such accidents by avoiding the purchase of meat-based foods.”
Edwards drove a tractor trailer off Godwin Boulevard into a ditch, a culvert and an access road; hit a road sign; and then drove into another ditch, where a tractor with a trailer overturned. PETA video shows a Smithfield Foods worker ordering others to fire a “hot shot” to shock the surviving pigs to force them into a replacement truck that was to go to the slaughterhouse. Eighteen trucks carrying live pigs to this slaughterhouse have crashed, including four in 2020 alone. In response to a PETA request, the Virginia Department of Transportation is currently investigating why nine trucks crashed on Godwin Boulevard.
PETA, whose motto is in part that “the animals are not ours to eat” – opposes arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority. For more information on collecting news and reporting on PETA investigations, please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram…
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