In an incident that seems more likely to occur in a Saturday morning cartoon than on the streets of Ohio, a cicada prompted a driver to lose control of his vehicle and flip it on its side. The catastrophe unfolded in Blue Ash, a Cincinnati suburb, where one of the titular insects decided to breach the inner sanctum of a Kia Sorento through an open window. According to a statement given to Cleveland19, the Blue Ash Police Department humorously noted that the "cicada attack can be dangerous," despite the flying critter’s quick escape from the scene.
The sole occupant of the vehicle, a 37-year-old driver, was navigating the roads of Blue Ash when the uninvited guest zoomed into his car, as The New York Post reported. In a frantic attempt to remove the cicada, the motorist veered off the road, hit a pole, and subsequently landed his vehicle on its passenger side. Echoing the advice of local authorities, the Post urges drivers to "Keep windows up" amidst these swarms of periodical cicadas.
Often appearing in vast numbers, the insects have emerged as a consequential summer feature in the Cincinnati area. Blue Ash Police Department, employing a measured blend of caution and levity in their communications, shared a Facebook post advising locals to keep their car windows closed to avert such unexpected entomological encounters. "We're all well aware that these pesky cicadas don't respect personal space, including while driving," said the department, as they shared an image of the silver Kia post-crash with The Island Packet.
These cicadas belong to the group known as periodical cicadas, which surface every 17 years and have become particularly notorious in the northeastern United States. After spending nearly two decades underground, these insects emerge in droves to breed, completing a fascinating yet disruptive natural cycle. The Island Packet expands on their brief aboveground existence, noting, "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." Hence, while the cicada may have left the accident scene, its kind will continue to influence the seasonal rhythms of regions like Blue Ash for years to come.
