Law enforcement officer dies after crashing his bike into a bear

BYLINE: Nathan Rousseau Smith

A bike collision with a bear caused the tragic death of a law enforcement officer, the Board of Review has found.

Back in June, Forest Service law enforcement officer Brad Treat was mountain biking with a friend when he accidentally collided with a giant bear.

He was supposedly on the "Outer Trail" of the Green Gate Trails in the Flathead National Forest of Montana.

According to his widow, Treat was a competitive biker who rode the trails at high speeds four to six times a week. He was estimated to have been going 20-25 miles per hour when he collided with the bear.

Neither Treat nor his friend had any bear spray, weapons or cell phones on them.

The report shows Treat's friend ran back up the trail to get help, but unfortunatley help was not able to get there in time.