Monkeys hurt in accident on I-95 in Harford County

Eight monkeys were shaken up, and one seriously injured, in an accident early yesterday along Interstate 95 in Harford County.

The monkeys were being held two to a cage in a trailer behind a van when the collision occurred about 4:35 a.m., authorities said.

The van and trailer flipped when the northbound driver, trying to change lanes, swerved and collided with another vehicle, said Trooper Mike Smart of the Maryland State Police. The drivers of the van and the other vehicle were uninjured.

Police were unable to say where the monkeys were being taken.

The eight monkeys were taken to Falls Road Animal Hospital, said Kathleen Meehan, a hospital veterinarian. She said she believed the African green monkeys were being transported from Texas to Connecticut.

Most of the monkeys suffered minor abrasions and bruises. The most seriously injured monkey, a 13-pound male, suffered a head injury and was semicomatose when he arrived at the hospital, Meehan said.