Love struck bear survives SUV collision

PITTSBURGH, June 25 (UPI) -- Mating season has Pennsylvania bears crossing paths with humans, including a recent crash with an SUV in Bedford County.

A black bear charged out of the woods directly in front of a Kia Sorento Monday evening. Fortunately no one in the vehile was injured. The bear appeared to have a broken leg when it was taken in for observation after a wildlife control officer shot it with a tranquilizer gun, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday.

A spokesman for the state game commission said there are approximately 250 to 300 bears killed on Pennsylvania roadways each year. But there are no accurate counts on injuries in crashes.

Protocol is that if the bear does not immediately flee, it is trapped and monitored. If injuries are too severe to be released into the wild the animal is euthanized.