CBC News
QUEBEC — Two people were killed Monday when a car struck a bear on a rural Quebec highway and sent the animal crashing into a second vehicle.
A Pontiac Sunfire travelling east slammed into a black bear at about 10:30 p.m. on Highway 148, near the town of Luskville, said the local police from MRC des Collines.
The 200-kilogram bear was thrown into the air and struck a SUV travelling in the opposite direction.
The driver of the SUV, a 25-year-old Ottawa woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, along with a passenger, a 40-year-old Gatineau man, who was sitting in the backseat.
A passenger in the front of the SUV suffered minor injuries and was taken to Hull Hospital. The occupants of the Pontiac Sunfire were not injured.
The crash happened about 40 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.
Alcohol not a factor
On Tuesday, investigators were still trying to determine how the accident occurred, but they ruled out alcohol as a factor.
Police believe the car, which was lower to the ground than the SUV and had a more aerodynamic design, must have thrust the bear up into the air and into the other lane.
“The SUV, being larger, would have driven right into the path of the bear as it was coming down,” Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco of CBC News Ottawa reported from the scene.
Nearby residents said it is unusual to see bears wandering onto the streets, although deer sightings are not unheard of.
A local hunting guide said he struck a bear last week and speculated it may be mating season for black bears. This might explain why the animals are roaming outside their usual territory, he said.
Police closed the road Monday night as firefighters and paramedics cleared the scene, but it has since reopened.
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