A wind turbine blade detached from a truck and crashed onto Interstate 70 in Maryland, striking a guardrail and being clipped by another vehicle. The incident occurred early Monday morning in Washington County, causing significant disruption to traffic flow on the heavily used highway. The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital, stating that the blade partially entered the eastbound lanes before being clipped by an eastbound tractor trailer.
As a result of the crash, all westbound lanes of I-70 at the I-81 interchange were closed, with two eastbound lanes also affected. The SHA reported that heavy tow crews were able to maneuver the damaged truck back onto the westbound lanes and eventually move the entire unit up to I-7, where it was parked on the wide shoulder for inspection. The scene, captured by a Maryland Department of Transportation camera, showed the blade lodged in the middle of the interstate, impacting traffic on both sides.
The crash resulted in one person being taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to FOX 5 DC. The incident highlights the potential risks associated with transporting large and heavy components like wind turbine blades, which require careful handling to prevent such accidents. Although no fatalities were reported, the incident has raised concerns about the safety of such transport operations and the need for improved measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.