Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog - Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

On Sunday, a semi truck carrying as many as 16 million bees flipped over as it was heading up the on ramp to highway 99 in Sacramento, California. When the truck flipped, the hives broke open and bees swarmed out, attacking emergency response crews and passing motorists. The truck, which carried 440 hives, flipped most likely due to a speed inappropriate to the load distribution of its cargo. The truck accident closed the on ramp for five hours.

The bees were being transported from Sacramento’s Central Valley, where they had been pollinating almond trees, to Yakima, Washington, where they would pollinate other food crops. The bee hives were valued at $80,000 before, and it is unknown how many of them died in the crash. However, local apiculturists (beekeepers) were able to corral most of the survivors back into their hives.

Although no human beings were killed in the crash, bee stings can be deadly to people with allergies. Bees are just one of the deadly cargoes that are increasingly being transported on the highways, and with the current illegal hours of service regulations, drivers are spending more and more hours on the road, making accidents increasingly likely. If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of a crash with a large commercial truck, contact the experienced truck accident lawyers at Pomerantz, Perlberger, & Lewis, LLP today for a free initial consultation.