Truck Filled With Bees Crashes On Capital Beltway Near McLean

MCLEAN, VA—The Capital Beltway was buzzing with trouble Wednesday evening when a crash allowed a swarm of bees and dog to escape.

It all began with a minor fender-bender crash on northbound Interstate 495 near Georgetown Pike. When those two vehicles attempted to leave the shoulder and enter the travel lanes, a tractor trailer struck them, Virginia State Police say. The truck driver had a medical emergency and was unresponsive when this crash happened.

As state trooper and medics responded to the scene, they were swarmed with bees coming out of the truck. Police determined the truck was filled with bees, and they had escaped when a strap had broken off and one of the pallets shifted from the truck.

Luckily, two people that happened to be experienced bee holders stopped at the crash scene to assist. The two men were able to capture most of the bees.

If that wasn't enough chaos, small dog had also escaped during the crash and was running loose. Trooper C. Lanfranchi Jr. was able to rescue the dog, who belonged to the truck driver. Because it took awhile to clear the crash scene, the trooper even took the dog for a walk along the shoulder.

The truck driver, a 56-year-old man from Missouri was taken to the hospital. The other drivers were not injured.

Image via Virginia State Police