Cicada ‘attack’ causes panicked driver to crash, Ohio cops say. ‘Can be dangerous’
Summer has officially landed according to the cicadas being out and about in droves in Ohio. The Cincinnati area has been battling swarms of the irksome insects as viral videos have shown, but they ended up personally victimizing one human — and his car.
A cicada managed to fly into the window of a car, causing the driver to crash, the Blue Ash Police Department said in a June 13 Facebook post.
“We’re all well aware that these pesky cicadas don’t respect personal space, including while driving. It may be a good idea to keep the windows up for the next several weeks,” the department said with a photo of a silver Kia on its side with a shattered windshield.
The accident occurred when the panicked driver tried to shoo the insect out of the car when he veered and struck a pole, WLWT5 said.
“As you can see, a cicada attack can be dangerous. Fortunately, no one was injured in this crash. The suspect fled the scene,” the department joked.
These types of cicadas are called “periodical” and appear above ground every 17 years, Britannica says.
“The largest brood makes its appearance every 17 years, like clockwork, in the northeastern quarter of the United States. Shortly after a 17-year cicada nymph hatches from its egg, it burrows into the ground, where it spends—as its name suggests—the first 17 years of its life,” Britannica notes.
“When it emerges from the ground, it lives only four to six more weeks—just long enough to mate, fertilize or lay eggs, and start the cycle all over again.”
Blue Ash is about a 20-minute drive northeast of Cincinnati.