Bear Causes Fatal Chain-Reaction Wreck in South Florida

A black bear gets the blame for starting a fatal chain-reaction wreck in South Florida’s Big Cypress Reservation Sunday night.

The accident happened on Snake Road, north of Interstate 75, when a woman struck and killed a bear, Local 10 reported. When that woman stopped, a second vehicle pulled over to help. Three people got out of that car and were subsequently struck by a third car, the station reported.

The three good Samaritans were killed in the collision and another eight people were injured, as well. Four people had to be airlifted to a local hospital for treatment, NBC reported.

The crash happened just before 7 p.m., which is an active time for bears, the station reported.

Car-versus-bear crashes are rare, Gary Bitner of the Seminole tribe, told the Sun-Sentinel.

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“There are bears all through the Everglades, but this is the first time we’ve had an accident involving a bear,” Bitner, spokesman for the Seminole Police Department, told the paper.

There are an estimated 3,000 black bears living in the Sunshine State today, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Although the bears are no longer on the state-threatened species list, they remain protected by Florida law.

The names of the people involved in the crash have not yet been released. It is unclear if any citations will be issued in the fatal wreck as the investigation continues.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission