Mahtomedi Family Injured In Collision With Black Bear

Three family members from Mahtomedi were injured Sunday after crashing into a black bear in Pine County. The collision happened on Interstate 35 in Rock Creek just before 8 p.m.

Huihong Lim, 42, was driving a 2008 Toyota Yaris southbound on I-35 north of Highway 70 when the car hit a bear in the roadway, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. The Toyota then went off the roadway and struck the median cable barrier.

The driver and the car's two passengers, 16-year-old Josiah Lim and 12-year-old Micha Lim, suffered non-life threatening injuries. All three were transported to Essentia Health. Sgt. Neil Dickenson told Patch the bear died at the scene.

Traffic incidents in Minnesota killed 27 bears in 2016, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told the Star Tribune.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli