Crime & Safety
Flock of Birds Collides With Vehicles on I-95
As many as 90 birds died in the incident along the highway in Laurel, says DER.
As many as 90 European Starling birds are dead after a bizarre accident Wednesday afternoon along I-95 near Laurel when the flock collided with vehicles on the roadway, according to the Maryland Department of Environmental Resources.
The incident happened before 3 p.m. Wednesday when a flock of 80-90 birds flew into the roadway, said Patricia Allen, a biologist for the DER. The lead bird flew into a tractor-trailer and the flock followed, leaving dead birds scattered across the highway, she said.
“In Maryland, you see events like this every few years. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens,” she said.
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No human injuries or vehicle accidents were reported, she said. The Maryland State Highway Administration cleared the roadway of the birds, Allen said. Several birds were collected to perform autopsies, though causes for the deaths appear to be blunt force trauma, she said.
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