At least 10 million bees were released onto a highway after a semitrailer crashed in Utah.

The truck, driven by a commercial beekeeper traveling from California to North Dakota, tipped over on Interstate 80 at around 10:40 a.m. local time Monday, Cameron Roden, public information officer for the Utah Highway Patrol, told CNN. The crash occurred because the driver was driving too fast on a curve, Roden added.

Eastbound I-80's right lane was closed for about four hours to clean up the crash site and the driver was taken to the hospital due to numerous bee stings and minor injuries from the crash, Roden reported. Several troopers on the scene also received bee stings.

Julie Arthur, president of the Wasatch Beekeepers' Association, told CNN the truck was transporting 416 boxes, each of which carried between 50,000-100,000 honeybees used to pollinate crops across the country.

"At least 10 million bees were in the air," Arthur noted. She put out a call to her team to help capture the huge swarm, but the beekeeper told authorities on site it was not worthwhile to attempt to save the bees.

It wasn't until Tuesday morning Arthur received a call saying she and her team could stage a rescue mission.

The scene was "a gigantic mess," Arthur recounted, with honey and honeycomb wax melting in the sun and boxes scattered everywhere, covered in the fire foam fighters had used to spray down some of the bees.

"Little of the equipment was salvageable," Arthur observed. "But we found a huge pile of bees on the back of the hillside." She described seeing "a wall of bees" 8 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 5 feet high. "We just started piling bees into boxes as fast as we could. They were not nice. They had just been dumped off a truck and most of them had lost their queen."

Altogether, Arthur and a group of five volunteers rescued about 10% of the wayward bees.

Whereas the rescued bees were previously destined to travel the country pollinating crops for farmers, now they're going to be used as teaching aids for burgeoning beekeepers.

"A lot of those bees are gonna be used as teaching hives for the Wasatch Beekeepers' Association," Arthur explained. "Others went to some of the beekeepers that helped, other organizations that needed bees, community gardens."

Arthur added she hopes the incident prompts Utah to develop a more unified strategy to deal with accidental bee releases.

"We had hours of confusion as to who was allowed to do what," she acknowledged. "The good thing to come out of this is that the Utah Highway Patrol and Utah Department of Transportation and local fire and police departments have said we need to come up with an immediate strategy if this happens again."

"Everyone knows how valuable honeybees are to our environment, but they were not sure what to do," she added. "It's really fortunate that we had people who wanted to come out and help."

Utah is known as the "Beehive State" and images of beehives are found across the state's signs and monuments, according to the Utah State Capitol.

A Louisiana woman sitting in her stopped car on a state highway died Friday after being hit by a Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office deputy responding to a call, according to a release from the Louisiana State Police.An initial investigation revealed that a 2004 Saturn Ion, driven by Christinia Estave, 33, was stopped in the left lane of LA 16 southbound for "unknown reasons," according to police."A Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office Deputy was driving south in the left lane of LA 16 in a fully marked 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe while responding to a call of service and struck the rear of the stopped vehicle," the release said.Estave, who was unrestrained, was taken to a hospital where she died, police said.The deputy who was involved in the crash was also not restrained when the crash took place, police said, and sustained minor injuries."While the deputy is not suspected of being impaired, a toxicology sample was collected from both drivers and will be submitted for analysis," police said. "This crash remains under investigation."The crash took place east of Baton Rouge.Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard issued a statement on Facebook regarding the incident, in which he said he is concerned about the deputy not being restrained at the time and will address it."My thoughts & prayers are with the families of all those involved," the post said. "Please know that we are fully cooperating with Louisiana State Police in its ongoing investigation. As we all await more details, I have been made aware that the deputy was unrestrained. That is a concern for me & will be addressed."

A mother who abandoned her young son on a dark, narrow highway on a rainy February night pleaded guilty in court Monday.

Heather Adkins was emotional at times during the hearing. A kidnapping charge was dropped, but she admitted her responsibility in a child endangering charge.

“How do you plead as to that one charge,” the judge asked.

“Guilty,” Adkins answered.

Adkins dropped her 5-year-old, non-verbal son off on a dark, narrow road in Colerain Township on Feb. 17.

The boy was seen wandering through neighborhoods in a steady rain, trying to get help.

Strangers eventually found the boy walking near the intersection of Sheeds and Gains roads.

Despite all of that, Adkins mother stands by her.

Sharon Eads believes her daughter should not only be let out of jail but that she should get her children back.

“I believe she should have her children back because her children are her whole life. She loves her children very much,” Eads said.

Adkins defense said during the hearing that someone else, who has not been charged, was also in the vehicle. Adkins and her mother put blame on that person.

“I didn’t willingly, intentionally do anything, but I take accountability because allowing a certain person into my life led to this,” Adkins said. “It would not have happened had I not let that person around my child.”

Adkins faces 36 months in jail.

The sentencing was delayed until Sept. 28. The judge wants to review Adkins’ latest mental evaluation.

An object lying on a southbound highway lane caused a horrific crash on Interstate 95 in Hobe Sound, Florida, Thursday night.According to Martin County Fire Rescue, the object crashed into the truck and knocked the driver unconscious. A passenger then quickly took control of the steering wheel and pulled the truck over.The driver was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. Two passengers were also transported to a hospital, but with non-life-threatening injuries.Fire rescue says the object is possibly a tire that appeared to have gone through the windshield. While there are no witnesses and the victims couldn't identify what hit the vehicle, a trailer on the northbound side of the road just north of the scene was missing a wheel.As a result of the crash, all southbound lanes on I-95 at mile marker 95 were shut down but have since reopened.

A team of wranglers — including one on horseback — chased down and captured a wayward steer named Lester across several lanes of a Detroit-area freeway.

State police in-car video shows the tail-end of Sunday afternoon's chase on northbound Interstate 75 in Holly, about 57 miles northwest of Detroit.

A rider on horseback and three people in two ATVs can be seen chasing Lester in and around fields and woods along the east side of the freeway as the state police car follows slowly behind on the shoulder.

At one point, Lester races from near a clump of trees toward the freeway lanes and is quickly cut off by one of the ATVs before running behind the vehicle and into traffic. Three vehicles pass the steer as it runs into the northbound lanes.

The rider on horseback catches up and lassos Lester, which then runs into the median and hops a guardrail onto the freeway's southbound shoulder before it is stopped.

“Eventually after much tom foolery, the critter was captured and removed from the freeway,” the state police wrote on the agency's Twitter page. “Troopers reopened the freeway and things quickly got back to normal. The bovine was not charged and is back in the pasture with a story to tell all the other livestock.”

Lester had been on the lam for several weeks from a ranch where Lester and four other bovine were relocated after escaping from pens at an animal rescue facility in Rose Township, said Bill Mullan, a spokesperson for Oakland County.

Another agency called in wranglers who initially captured the group, but Lester escaped again and was on the loose until his recapture Sunday.

CINCINNATI —

After two highway shootings in about a week, Cincinnati police have confirmed a third highway shooting in our area last week.

A witness who talked with us said it all happened incredibly close to him on southbound I-75.

Investigators said the shooting happened last Monday.

They said witnesses called 911 and a victim showed up to the hospital.

"I hear seven or eight more pops, look in my rearview mirror and see two cars pretty much shooting at each other," a witness said.

He said he found himself caught in the middle of a shootout on I-75 on Nov. 29.

He doesn't want to be identified.

"With the crime that's going on right now. I don't feel safe," he said.

He told us while he drove southbound at about 5 p.m., two cars pulled up next to a car in the middle lane and started firing.

This was about two exits north of Ezzard Charles Drive, according to the witness.

"I didn't know if I was going to get hit by a stray bullet or a ricochet or something like that," he said.

Cincinnati police said the victim was shot in the hand and pulled off at 7th Street.

It's another example of highway violence.

The organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, said nationally, there have been more than 800 road rage incidents involving a gun this year.

It says that is up from 701 in 2020.

Another shooting on I-75 in Lockland was caught on camera on Nov. 30.

"I need help right now. I need help," the victim said in a 911 call.

He said he did not know who shot him.

Cincinnati police are piecing together a shooting on northbound I-71 at Fort Washington Way from Tuesday evening.

Investigators said a 42-year-old man was hit in the stomach, drove himself to Christ Hospital and was transferred to UC Medical Center.

They initially said he was in critical condition, but updated his status to stable, as of Wednesday.

The victim's fiancee talked with us on Tuesday night, sharing his call for help.

"Just that he was shot and I told him to go to UC," Billie Ray said.

Now, witnesses are unnerved knowing that gunfire could come from just one lane over at any moment.

"I'm a little bit more on edge when I drive around that area and unfortunately, that's probably how it's going to be from now on," the witness said.

Cincinnati police said they are talking with witnesses and hope to speak with the victim in the Fort Washington Way shooting soon.

They have not released any information about what led up to that shooting, but said it appears the victim was targeted.

Police have not elaborated on how they've come to that conclusion and a spokeswoman has since backed away from calling the incident road rage at this point.

HIGHLAND COUNTY, Ohio —

One person is dead and another was injured after a two-vehicle crash in Paint Township.

It happened around 2:08 p.m. when highway patrol officers responded to Keplinger Road off of U.S. 50.

There, they discovered the two-vehicle crash.

Officials said a driver, identified as Douglas Hurt, 62, was driving down Keplinger Road when he failed to yeild to a stop signa nd was hit by another car.

Hurt was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The other driver suffered minor injuries.

No drugs or alcohol are suspected at this time, OSP said.

The crash is under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office has released new details about the crashes that killed three drivers on Boone County interstates Monday morning.

Two drivers were killed on westbound I-275 before the Carroll Cropper Bridge around 8:30 a.m., the sheriff's office said. Several vehicles and multiple collisions were involved.

Originally, deputies were dispatched for a single-vehicle crash involving a Chevrolet Camaro, according to a release. Subsequently, several more collisions occurred at the same location involving a Jeep Wrangler, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and a Ford F-150.

The driver of the Camaro, identified by police as Brandon L. Hicks, 24, of Norwood, Oh., and the driver of the Jeep, identified as Anna M. Kincart, 36, of Petersburg, Ky., were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Trailblazer was transported to the hospital with moderate but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the F-150 was not injured.

Another fatal crash - involving a car and a semi - happened shortly before 9:30 a.m. on northbound I-75 in Walton, Kentucky. The driver of a Toyota Corolla died at the scene.

The Corolla driver lost control in water that had pooled in the high-speed lane, according to a release. The Corolla spun out of control across the highway and became lodged under the semi’s trailer. The semi driver was not injured.

Both highways have reopened.

The names of the deceased are being withheld until next of kin can be notified.

The Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team is handling both investigations.

WCPO will update this story as more information becomes available.

Some drivers took advantage of roads and highways emptied by the coronavirus pandemic by pushing well past the speed limit, a trend that continues even as states try to get back to normal.

The Iowa State Patrol recorded a 101% increase from January through August over the four-year average in tickets for speeds exceeding 100 mph, along with a 75% increase in tickets for speeds of 25 mph or more over the posted speed limit.

California Highway Patrol officers issued more than 15,000 tickets from mid-March through Aug. 19 for speeds exceeding 100 mph, more than a 100% increase over the same time period a year ago. That includes a continuing spike from May on.

The most likely explanation is drivers taking advantage of more open roads because of the pandemic, said Officer Ian Hoey, a spokesman for the California agency.

The patrol planned a heavy presence over the Labor Day weekend, he said.

“Let’s just slow down a bit and enjoy the day!” the agency’s Santa Rosa division tweeted June 21, along with a photo of a laser speed device recording a car going 127 mph.

In Ohio, state troopers have issued 2,200 tickets since April for driving more than 100 mph, a 61% increase over the same time period a year ago. The highest ticketed speed was 147 mph in the Cincinnati area.

While traffic has decreased 15% from February through July, the number of people driving more than 80 mph on Ohio roads jumped by 30%, according to sensor data analyzed by the state Department of Transportation.

Columbus resident Karen Poltor experienced the trend firsthand last month when three cars raced past her on state Route 315, an expressway through the city.

“They were flying in the left lane and weaving around cars,” said Poltor, who estimated their speed at between 90 and 100 mph. “It was terrifying to watch.”

Ohio authorities are especially troubled that speeds not only picked up in the early days of the pandemic when roads were emptier, but they’ve also continued even as the state reopened and roads became more congested.

“We’ve seen people continue to go those speeds even though there now is more traffic, which makes it even more dangerous,” said Lt. Craig Cvetan, an Ohio patrol spokesman.

July was Ohio’s deadliest traffic month since 2007, with 154 fatalities.

A temporary reduction in traffic enforcement in the early days of the pandemic may have contributed to a sense of invulnerability by some drivers. Some Ohio police agencies — though not the patrol — eased up on pulling drivers over for minor traffic violations to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

In addition, Ohio troopers were spread thin for several weeks as they were called on to help distribute food and later provide security as protests over police brutality and racism erupted following the death in May of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“When people see less troopers on the roadway or they see less law enforcement out working, there is that tendency for them to start committing traffic violations,” Cvetan said.

Vermont law enforcement officials believe an increase in the number of traffic fatalities recorded to date this year could be linked to fewer police on the road because of the pandemic. So far there have been 43 traffic fatality deaths, up from 21 at the same point last year.

Utah state police saw a 23% jump in tickets issued for going 20 mph or more over the speed limit from March through August compared with the same time period last year. In Pennsylvania, patrol tickets for drivers exceeding 100 mph climbed in March but then stayed high from June through August, jumping 25% during that three-month period.

The government warned drivers to slow down in a mid-July message aimed at pandemic speeding.

“Less traffic has coincided with a rise in speeding in some areas of the country, and that’s a problem because speeding increases the risk of crashes, and can increase crash severity as well,” said James Owens, deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a public service announcement.

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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Ryan Foley in Iowa City; Don Thompson in Sacramento, California; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont; and Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City.

CINCINNATI — Slick spots and snowy roads could lead to some slow downs in traffic Monday morning.

Most of the Tri-State is under a Winter Weather Advisory until noon; light snow is expected throughout the day, and temperatures will only top out at 31 degrees.

As of midnight, the Ohio Department of Transportation had more than 140,000 crews treating roads across the state. Locally, there are about 125 crews on standby, according to spokesperson Liz Lyons.

Monday's snow follows winter weather across Greater Cincinnati over the weekend. Snow blanketed the Tri-State during the evening and overnight hours Saturday, leaving a fresh blanket of powder covering streets and highways.

Area residents waking up Sunday morning found side streets and highways slick.

On Thursday, the City of Cincinnati’s Department of Public Services reported a shortage in available drivers due to COVID-19 related illness or exposure quarantine.

STOCKTON, Calif. — Mannequins floating in water near a California highway were mistaken for bodies and prompted people to call 911.

California Highway Patrol (CHP) – Stockton posted photos of the plastic models and reassured the Stockton community that nobody was harmed.

CHP told KOVR that officers received a 911 call around 8 a.m. Monday from a trucker who spotted the mannequin carnage.

CHP Officer Ruben Jones told KOVR that the incident was taken very seriously, since homicides have surged in the area over the last year.

But once officers realized real humans weren’t involved, they got the green light to have a little fun with the situation online.

CHP jokingly posted on Facebook about “the Stockton Kraken” getting revenge on Valentine’s Day. Officers hoped the community would find humor in the situation, as they did.

"Sometimes we see the worst scenarios in different situations, but this one we got a good laugh out of it and a good chuckle,” Jones told KOVR.

The mannequins were quickly removed from the water, so others wouldn’t mistake them for bodies.

As for where they came from, that remains a mystery. Though, authorities say litter is often found in the area.