A tractor-trailer hauling about 15 million bees crashed Thursday evening on Interstate 95 in Clinton.
The tractor-trailer was headed north on I-95, near mile marker 141, about 7 p.m. when it left the road and rolled over, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The driver was heading to Washington County, where the bees were going to pollinate blueberry fields, Moss said Friday morning.
The bees came from Georgia and were being transported in wooden apiaries loaded onto an open-air flatbed that was covered by a net, said Brandon Hale, a Clinton Fire Department firefighter and EMT who responded to the crash.
Hale said some bees escaped in the crash, but he had no way to tell how many were released and if any were injured. Most containers carrying the bees appeared to remain intact, Hale said.
When rescue crews arrived, Hale said the scene appeared “fairly under control.” One first responder pointed out there were bees in the area, but Hale said he assumed the vehicle hit an insect nest on the side of the road.
Bees stung three firefighters, including Hale, but none are allergic to bees.
The driver was taken to the hospital with complaints of pain.
The bees were mostly contained, and Moss noted the “goal was to save them.”
The crash shut down the right lane throughout the night.
BDN writer Kathleen O’Brien contributed to this report.