SALEM, Ore. (AP)-Salem, Ore.'s traffic engineer has turned down a proposal to erect a giant statue of a bloodied, bandaged chicken on crutches at the site where a commercial truck hauling more than 5,000 live chickens flipped over recently.
Police have said "a considerable number" of chickens died in the July 9 crash and its six-hour cleanup.
The Oregonian reports that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the city Tuesday for permission to erect a 5-foot-5-inch statue of a chicken at the crash site for at least a month.
PETA wanted to commemorate the birds, killed on the way to a Kelso, Wash., slaughterhouse.
Salem traffic engineer Kevin Hottman calls the accident unfortunate but says he and Oregon Transportation Department officials agreed the statue "would be a distraction and possibly a hazard."
PETA spokeswoman Danielle Katz said earlier the group hoped the statue would "let people know that the best way to prevent crashes is to go vegan."
Source: capitalpress.com