KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Motorists traveling through East Tennessee encountered an unusual traffic delay Friday when a commercial truck hauling approximately one million bees overturned on Interstate 40.
The accident forced officials to temporarily close the exit ramp from eastbound I-40 to Henley Street in Knoxville as the massive swarm escaped from the damaged vehicle. Mark Nagi, a regional spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, confirmed no one was hurt in the incident.
“The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street is back open but the truck is destroyed and the bees are… well… buzzing. Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area,” Nagi wrote in a social media post, accompanied by a photograph showing someone wearing protective beekeeping equipment.
By Friday evening, Nagi announced that specialized workers had successfully relocated all the bees from the crash site and the damaged truck had been towed away.
The unusual incident sparked numerous bee-related jokes and wordplay across social media platforms.
“So, this is the buzz around town?” wrote U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett on social media. “This stuff just writes itself.”
Transportation officials in Virginia also chimed in, referencing a similar 2018 incident on Interstate 495 where bees escaped from a crashed truck, prompting authorities at the time to advise drivers to “Please roll up your windows.”
