Wreck on I-24 sends bees zooming around interstate

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A three-vehicle wreck Tuesday evening on Interstate 24 sent thousands of honeybees swarming on the highway and while several people were stung numerous times, no one was seriously injured in the wreck or its aftermath.

At around 5:15 p.m., the wreck was called in near the state line, according to emergency dispatch traffic. One of the vehicles was a semi truck carrying 360 bee hives, and thousands of angry bees were flying around the wreck site. If the load had spilled, about 11 million bees could have been unleashed.

According to a news release issued by Clarksville Police spokesman Sgt. Charles Gill, motorists were asked to avoid the east bound side of Interstate 24 between the state line and Exit 1. As of 6:15 p.m., the west bound lane was open, but the east bound lane remained blocked, with traffic backed up for miles.

"The bee hives were disturbed, and there are bees everywhere," Gill said in the release. "The officers on scene have been stung multiple times."

As of 7 p.m., the east bound lane remained closed, although police were occasionally allowing vehicles through one lane.

Keith Todd, public information officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, reported at 7:30 p.m. the other east bound lane would likely remain blocked another hour or two.

Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Trooper Ron Crockell is heading up the investigation. Clarksville Police, Clarksville Fire Rescue, Kentucky State Police, the Christian County Sheriff's Office and Christian County EMS were assisting.

The crash involved three vehicles – the semi truck carrying the hives on an open flatbed, a green Chevy Silverado and a white Chevy Suburban. The Suburban and Silverado were both traveling west when they collided and crossed the median. The SUV landed upside down in the median. The Silverado was hauling a trailer carrying two motorcycles. The trailer and Silverado overturned and blocked both eastbound lanes. The eastbound semi truck hauling beehives struck the trailer. The impact tore off a stair leading to the cab, shattered a window and disturbed the bees, which began swarming around the wreck site.

The driver of the Silverado, Tony Pogribnichenko of Tampa, Florida, claimed he was traveling in the fast lane when the Suburban crossed in front of him to try and make a U-Turn at the 0 milemarker. He attempted to avoid the SUV but was unable to do so, he said. He and his passenger, Al Knaut of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, said they were on their way to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual motorcycle rally.

The semi driver, Thomas Gentry, 40, of Ravenswood, West Virginia, backed up Pogribnichenko's claims, noting that the Suburban appeared to be attempting an illegal U-turn and the Silverado tried to avoid it but couldn't and the trailer spun into his lane. He said his cab was clipped in the collision, which disturbed the bees and set some of them loose, but he didn't lose his load, which was covered with mesh.

"I wanted to make sure I didn't lose a whole load of bees," he said. "It was quite frantic."

The SUV driver, Antonio Lathon, 33, of Oak Grove, Kentucky, also claimed he was in the left lane and attempted to make a U-turn to help a stranded motorist on the eastbound side of the interstate. He said he didn't know how the collision happened.

Trooper Crockell said charges were pending.

Although Pogribnichenko and Knaut's trailer was destroyed, their motorcycles – two Harley-Davidsons – were still drivable. Because they had no helmets they had no choice but to drive their motorcycles west because unlike Tennessee, Kentucky doesn't require helmets. They planned to get a hotel room in Kentucky and resume their journey to Sturgis in the morning in a rented U-Haul. They will attempt to get their motorcycles fixed before the motorcycle rally, which begins Aug. 4.

"We're just a little bruised up," Knaut, and added, "There were bees everywhere." He said he was stung eight times.

Gentry, who drives for Eric Thompson Trucking, said he was hauling the hives to Florida from Wisconsin. A man there had sent them north for cranberry season to pollinate crops, he said.

Lathon estimated he was stung 20 times. His hand was also injured, he said, and he planned to seek medical treatment.

Montgomery County beekeeper Jason Groppel said one average hive contains about 30,000 bees. He went to the scene to offer his assistance Tuesday night but was told he was not needed.

Gentry said he planned to have someone come to the scene and smoke the loose bees back into their hives. Shortly after the collision, he moved the truck about a quarter mile away to keep the bees from stinging more people. A number of emergency responders said they received stings.

Stephanie Ingersoll, 245-0267

City government and crime

singersoll@theleafchronicle.com

Twitter: @StephLeaf