Two die in bizarre crash involving bear on Hwy. 148

ottawa.ctv.ca ^ | June 7, 2011

[Free ThinkerNY]

A young Ottawa woman and her friend were killed Monday night in a bizarre collision involving two vehicles and a bear on Highway 148 in the Pontiac.

Police say a vehicle travelling eastbound near Luskville, Que. hit the 300-pound black bear at about 10:30 Monday night, sending the animal into the opposite lane.

The bear was then struck by an on-coming car, sending the animal through the windshield and out the back window.

"Add the weight of the bear, about a 300-pound bear, plus the speed of the vehicle, it's a deadly impact," said Const. Martin Fournel, spokesperson for MRC-des-Collines-de-l'Outaouais.

The two occupants of the first car escaped injury. However, two people in the second vehicle were killed instantly -- those victims have been identified as a 25-year-old female driver from Ottawa and her friend, 40-year-old Steven Leon from Gatineau, who was riding in the back seat.

The bear was also killed.

[momtothree]

I’ve seen people hurt after hitting a deer. I can only imagine hitting a 300 pound bear is very destructive to the driver.

[Past Your Eyes]

There’s too damn many bears. One made a nuisance of himself here a few days ago.
I haven’t heard of any moose collisions here lately. Maybe they’ve moved back into the woods where they’ll be safer.

[cripplecreek]

I know a woman who spent a considerable amount of time in a coma after hitting a horse with a Chevette.

[RegulatorCountry]

Was the horse injured?

[cripplecreek]

Very.

[freedumb2003]

Wow, how bizarre.

We are all sometimes a few milliseconds away from catastrophe.

The best definition I have ever heard of “luck” (Seneca, 5 BC) is “when preparation meets opportunity.”

That also applies to “bad luck.”

But if someone knocks a 300 lb bear into your windshield...

Prayers for the families of the victims of this quite bizarre accident.

[ColdOne]

I worry about hitting Moose/deer up here. Bear not so much. Yet it is possible. They hit the front part of the bumper and fly onto the windshield it is all over.

[ClearCase_guy]

Quel est ce grand ours faisant dans ma voiture?

[momtothree]

I hope she is doing better. Wow! I know that horses can get out of their areas at times and at night... who can really see it until you are right up on it? I do know of one fatality that occurred with a deer. The deer went through the windshield and crushes the man.

[ColdOne]

Quel est ce grand ours faisant dans ma voiture? Could you please translate to English?

[SoldierDad]

Some time back a vehicle driving south of my home town struck a Bison that had wondered onto the highway. The driver and the Bison both perished. I can’t imagine hitting something that size at highway speed.

[RegulatorCountry]

There was a similar accident with fatalities nearby two, years ago. Beautiful, nearly solid black horse, very prized, loved and well cared for, stepped out of the fence, which had a section knocked out by a tree in a storm. Right beside the road, at night, ground fog. Stepped into the road, oncoming traffic didn’t see her, three cars involved with a mother and a grandfather killed. I still feel a little sick passing by where the accident occurred, when I travel that way. Such a pretty spot for such a tragedy.

[cripplecreek]

This was 20 years ago or better. She’s fine today but she’s a well known citizen of my home town so it was a real shock to everyone.

[Viking2002]

We have black bear back home that sometimes wander onto the freeway. They were pretty scarce for several decades, then we saw a population explosion about a dozen years ago, and they now have their own 'police blotter' column in the local paper during mating season. Lots of deer end up on the side of the road, as well - the general rule of thumb we had for deer - especially bucks - was that if you hit one, you generally do more damage to your car than the deer, depending on certain factors. That rule was taught to me back in the late 70's/early 80's, when most cars were being made from tinfoil for gas economy reasons, something else we can thank Jimmy Carter for. (I had a standoff with a deer in a '77 Chevy Vega, and the deer won.) But I doubt that even a monster buck would survive a collision with a big block '72 Olds Delta 88 doing 80 in the fast lane.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[NCLaw441]

It is franglais for “What is this big bear doing in my car? Not really French.

[SoldierDad]

quel est ce grand ours faisant dans ma voiture = what is this big bear doing in my car

[ClearCase_guy]

“What’s this big bear doing in my car?”

[Doogle]

...while stationed in the UK, I was waiting at an intersection while driving my MG Midget...I heard hoofs..???...a horse had gotten away from it’s rider and came running around a corner hedge with rider in hot pursuit (girl)...the horse went right over the top of me, I didn’t see much because I had ducked down....I wound up dating her for a few months...the girl, not the horse.

[ClearCase_guy]

Well, Canadians don’t really speak French, do they? [/jk]