SUV collides with 400 pound bear near Christopher Lake

A Saskatchewan family walked away without injuries after their vehicle collided with a bear early Wednesday morning on Highway 263, west of Christopher Lake.

The collision happened around 2:30 a.m. Ashley Moosehunter, her husband and their two year old daughter were on their way to their campsite at Anglin Lake.

Moosehunter, who was behind the wheel, told paNOW the bear was running along the side of the road, and suddenly veered onto the road.

A photo of the SUV after colliding with a bear. (Submitted/ Ashley Moosehunter)

“It came right in front of us and we just collided with it. I didn’t have to stop or anything,” Moosehunter said.

Too scared to get out of their vehicle, the family called 9-1-1 for help.

“All I seen was his head and his body right beside my window,” she said. “I was like ‘Is that a bear?”

When the fire department showed up, the bear was lying on the side of the road. Fortunately none of the vehicle’s occupants were hurt, but the impact totalled the vehicle.

A photo taken of the vehicle after the crash. (Submitted photo/ Ashley Moosehunter)

According to the Lakeland and District Fire Department Facebook page, the vehicle was towed from the scene, and crews helped remove the bear from the road.

A spokesperson for the fire department told paNOW the male bear was roughly three to four years old, and weighed over 400 lbs.

Wildlife officials have said bear sightings are on the rise in the province due to an increasing bear population.