Thousands of Bees Released onto Florida Highway After Truck …
"A lot of bees got lost," said Trent Padgett, owner of Jesup Bee Company
A truck carrying about a million bees on U.S. Highway 301 crashed into a tractor-trailer on Tuesday morning, releasing thousands of the insects all over the freeway, according to local news station WJAX[1]. Florida Highway Patrol told the Florida Times-Union[2] that the incident happened at about 3:15 a.m. in the Baldwin area 20 miles west of Jacksonville.
The publication noted that according to police, both the two occupants driving the truck carrying the bee hives as well as the occupant of the tractor-trailer reported no injuries. Additional information about the crash was not immediately available and Florida Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Related:Mom Stung Over 75 Times While Protecting Her Kids from Bee Attack During Family Photoshoot[3]
Trent Padgett, owner of Jesup Bee Company, told WJAX that they were on their way towards Lawtey, where they planned to make honey, when the collision took place. "We both had a green light, but the semi-truck made a U-turn there without a turn signal, and I didn't see it coming," Padgett claimed during an interview with the station. "So I just hit right at the front end of the truck." Never miss a story -- sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.[4]
"A lot of bees got lost. A lot of them flew away," he said, adding that there were also "a lot of dead bees on the highway that came from those boxes." RELATED Video: Small Plane Crash Lands on California Highway, Pilot and Passenger Both Escape Alive[5]
Padgett told the station that the company lost "about 25 to 30 hives completely," which amounted to about £40,000 worth of bees. Related:Student Removes and Eats Banana from Iconic Artwork at South Korea Museum: 'He Was Hungry'[6] Story continues
State troopers asked people driving in the area to be cautious as the beekeepers tried to capture the bees that got released, per WJXT. The Florida Times-Union noted that the highway returned to normal around 7:30 a.m. local time. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter![7]
Read the original article on People[8].
References
- ^ WJAX (www.news4jax.com)
- ^ Florida Times-Union (www.jacksonville.com)
- ^ Mom Stung Over 75 Times While Protecting Her Kids from Bee Attack During Family Photoshoot (people.com)
- ^ PEOPLE's free daily newsletter (forms.dotdashmeredith.com)
- ^ Small Plane Crash Lands on California Highway, Pilot and Passenger Both Escape Alive (people.com)
- ^ Student Removes and Eats Banana from Iconic Artwork at South Korea Museum: 'He Was Hungry' (people.com)
- ^ sign up for our newsletter! (forms.dotdashmeredith.com)
- ^ People (people.com)