400-pound bear collides with motorcycle and dies along NC highway, rider says
A North Carolina man was on a motorcycle ride when a bear ran into his bike, he said.
Robert Wadman said he and his wife were riding near a marsh when the roughly 400-pound beast darted onto the road on Monday, July 25.
The bear was “killed on the spot” of the crash, which was reported along N.C. Highway 133 in Brunswick County. State troopers responded at about 11 a.m. to the scene, which lies near Winnabow and across the Cape Fear River from the Wilmington area.
Wadman told McClatchy News he was going about 50 mph when the bear ran onto the road, striking his bike. He said he later pulled over and found out another driver “dragged the bear out of the street and to the side of the road.”
Photos that Wadman shared with McClatchy News show the animal’s body lying on a patch of grass after it hit the side of the bike.
Wadman’s wife, who had been riding on the back of the motorcycle, was left with a bruised leg, he said. The husband had two broken toes, but his bike wasn’t damaged in the collision, WWAY reported.
In a Facebook message, Wadman told McClatchy News the crash happened along a corridor where he has had a past close encounter with a family of bears. Earlier in July, two drivers were nearby when they hit and killed a bear that weighed 500 pounds, according to WWAY.
Drivers that hit animals are urged to pull off the road and take pictures for possible insurance claims. But make sure to keep your distance from the wounded creature, officials warn.
“If it is still alive, it could be in distress and dangerous,” the N.C. Department of Public Safety said on its website. “Wait for the authorities to arrive.”
Bears usually don’t pose a risk to people unless they are given food or are provoked, according to wildlife officials.
Black bears, the only species in North Carolina, prefer to live in the swamps and woods of the eastern and western parts of the state. The animals can weigh 700 pounds or more, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said on its website.
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