ROSE LAKE - This accident will bring tears to your eyes - no matter how you slice it.

A semi hauling onions overturned on eastbound Interstate 90 near Rose Lake on Friday, creating a stinking mess and painting the pavement purple.

Dick Standish, an Idaho Transportation Department responder, said cleaning up the onions had him in tears.

"My eyes were watering up when I was running the loader," Standish said.

According to Idaho State Police, Ion Zaharia, 24, Federal Way, Wash., was driving a 2012 International down Fourth of July Pass near Rose Lake at 10:35 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a curve, causing the semi and trailer to roll onto the driver's side.

"It appears the driver was taking it too quickly down the pass," said ISP Trooper J.A. Cushman.

Eastbound lanes were blocked for about an hour and delays lasted for more than another hour.

Zaharia, who was wearing his seat belt, was transported to Kootenai Health with minor injuries, Cushman said.

The semi, which had Illinois license plates, was hauling 50-pound bags of Basin Gold onions packaged in Pasco, Wash.

A loader and dump truck were transported to the scene to clean up the mess. The onions fell onto both sides of the freeway, but the westbound side was quickly cleared, causing only minimal delays to those lanes.

"We wanted to keep traffic moving as much as possible," Standish said.

The incident drew a variety of reactions from motorists. Some couldn't resist commenting to police as they passed by the wreck and sea of purple-colored onions.

"I sure hope they're not Walla Walla sweets," said a woman from South Dakota who was stuck in traffic.