What a mess.

A tractor-trailer carrying pig intestines spilled exiting the off ramp of Interstate 85 South onto Belmont-Mount Holly Road at 3:21 p.m. Tuesday.

The spillage created a powerful, unique smell that could be described as pork-scented garbage. The unsightly mess was expected to back up traffic until 7 p.m.

The wreck happened after the truck shifted its load trying to make a turn. Belmont police believe speed was a factor.

The pig intestines didn't spill onto any other vehicles, but its smell crept into cars stuck in traffic. Police at the scene moved backward as changes in wind direction brought a stronger stench.

Police haven't released the name of the driver. The name of the business associated with the truck wasn't clear, though the materials do have a few uses.

"Dog food, some products are used in makeup, or human food," Belmont Police Sgt. J.B. Quinn said. "It's a large variety. Some of it is just waste."

The driver was uninjured in the crash. A truck with the privately owned Carolina Environmental Response Team was sent to the scene to clean up both the pig waste and diesel material left behind from an earlier wreck on nearby Interstate 85 carrying chickens.

Quinn said people would be surprised at how often crashes happen that involve animal byproducts. He cited one on Wilkinson Boulevard a couple months back, and another crash on Interstate 85 a couple years ago.

In June, a truck hauling bees wrecked close to the Gaston and Mecklenburg county line. In that wreck, traffic was also backed up and emergency workers had to deal with bee stings.

You can reach Adam Lawson at 704-869-1842 or Twitter.com/GazetteLawson.