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Millions of bees set free in freak truck accident

On Behalf of | May 21, 2014 | Car Accidents

Truck accidents are often serious or fatal simply because of the enormous size and weight of 18-wheelers compared to passenger vehicles. However, truck accidents can also be particularly dangerous depending on the cargo that is being transported.

Yesterday, a truck accident near the New Jersey border caused an interstate highway on-ramp to be closed for hours after millions of bees were freed from the truck bed. The accident occurred in Newark, Delaware, when wooden crates on the truck’s flatbed shifted as it took the on-ramp from Route 896 to I-95 North, causing the truck to tip over on its side.

The crates were filled with 16-20 million European honey bees that were on their way from Florida to Maine for a pollination program. While firefighters sprayed foam at the swarms of bees in effort to disperse or kill them, several area bee keepers attempted to save as many bees as they could while being stung many times in the process.

The truck driver, who was ticketed for transporting unsafe, shifting cargo, and two truck passengers were able escape from the truck. Police said the driver and a male passenger were stung 50-100 times during the ordeal.

Luckily, it doesn’t appear that any other vehicles were involved in the bazaar truck accident, though it is surprising considering the commotion that the accident and swarms of bees could have caused on a busy interstate on-ramp.

Officials said the I-95 ramp was closed for more than 12 hours in order to make sure that most of the bees were captured, killed or dispersed from the area.

Source: 6 Actions News, “Driver Cited After Truck Crash Frees Millions of Bees in Newark, Delaware,” May 21, 2014