Shark Dies In Crash On Florida Interstate
A shark died in a crash on a Florida interstate yesterday.
A shark was killed when a semi-truck carrying a load of sandbar sharks crashed on Wednesday, June 10, in Volusia County, Florida.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the semi-truck was carrying four sharks, measuring approximately five feet long, to an aquarium in Coney Island, New York, when it blew out a tire and crashed into the woods on Interstate 95. One of the sharks was thrown from the tractor-trailer, resulting in its death, the NBC station WESH reports.
There were three people in the truck, including the driver. Luckily, they all managed to walk away from the accident without any injuries.
“(The) tire blew out and we ended up in the ditch here,” passenger Frank Young said. “Accidents happen. We’re just glad everyone is OK,” he added.
A sandbar shark being taken to Coney Island died in a truck crash in Florida, authorities say http://t.co/snO1NpT1PC pic.twitter.com/hcFOFHnfYz
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) June 11, 2015
A SeaWorld rescue team came to the scene of the shark crash to take the other three sharks to SeaWorld, where they will stay until they make plans to transport them to New York. “They’re in good condition,” Jim Kinsler, a SeaWorld Rescue team member, said. “Nothing different from normal transport stress.”
Truck carrying 4 sharks crashes on Florida highway: http://t.co/ctNObGM8va pic.twitter.com/boWCBlQpno — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 11, 2015
“We’re just grateful no one got injured and we’re happy to help,” Kinsler told the Daily Mail. “Sharks require good water conditions and appropriate space and care during travel.”
SeaWorld will care for the sharks that survived the I-95 crash on their way to New York. 1 shark did not survive. pic.twitter.com/pzAQyIkQ9d
— Ryan Elijah (@ryanelijah) June 11, 2015
Sandbar sharks are not considered dangerous to humans, although they can grow to be eight feet long and are considered one of the biggest coastal sharks in the world.
According to News 13, “the sandbar shark is the most abundant species of large shark on our side of the Atlantic. It likes shallow coastal waters, and is most commonly found in harbors, estuaries, the mouths of bays and rivers.”
[Photo by Attila JANDI / Shutterstock]
