A bear was struck and killed while trying to cross a Connecticut highway in the latest deadly incident involving the Nutmeg State's booming ursine population.
The bear was hit head-on by a Mini Cooper on southbound state Route 8 in Torrington, about 20 miles west of the capital of Hartford, according to the Connecticut state police.
Several other vehicles also reportedly ran over the critter, which troopers found dead in the right hand lane after being dispatched to the scene around 8:50 p.m. Sunday.
The Mini Cooper's driver said he was unable to avoid the bear when it darted in front of his car, which veered out of control following the collision and damaged 30 feet of wire guard rail before coming to a stop on the right shoulder, according to an accident report.
Gregory Barron, 54, of Torrington, was wearing a seat belt and didn't suffer any injuries, the report said.
The fatal accident occurred one day after Connecticut environmental conservation officers tracked down and euthanized a black bear that police said "made contact" with a woman as she sat in her backyard in Cheshire, about 30 miles southeast of Torrington.
The bear was moving slowly and appeared unhealthy, and the unidentified woman wasn't hurt and declined medical treatment, according to the Hartford Courant.
A February state report estimated Connecticut's black bear population at 1,000 to 1,200 and said long-term research showed they were reproducing at a greater rate than elsewhere, due in part to an "abundance of suitable habitat and excessive human-related food across their range."
The "State of the Bear" report also said there were an average 870 "conflicts" involving bears annually, including two attacks against humans last year.
But the "vast majority" of incidents from 2020 to 2023 involved bears raiding bird feeders and trash, and an average of 40 bears are killed by motor vehicles each year, according to the report.
