The state of Maine denied a request from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to erect a road monument to honor the “sensitive” lobsters who perished in a truck crash earlier this month.
The crash happened on August 22 on Route 1 in Brunswick, Maine when a Cozy Harbor Seafood Inc. overturned in rainy conditions, spilling around 70 crates of live lobsters onto the roadway, according to News Center Maine. Many of the lobsters died in the crash.
LOBSTERS LOST | 7,000 lbs of lobster spill onto Route 1 in crash https://t.co/uZWGVocc2i pic.twitter.com/o9kDyUX2AJ
— NEWS CENTER Maine (@newscentermaine) August 23, 2018
The truck driver was taken to the hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries after the crash.
Following the crash, PETA penned a letter to the Maine Department of Transportation urging the group to allow for the erection of a five foot monument on Route 1 in honor of the lost lobsters.
From PETA: “Countless sensitive crustaceans experienced an agonizing death when this truck rolled over and their bodies came crashing down onto the highway. PETA hopes to pay tribute to these individuals who didn’t want to die with a memorial urging people to help prevent future suffering by keeping lobsters and all other animals off their plates.”
Maine elected to deny PETA’s request for the monument, citing safety concerns along the busy route.