Woman crashes car into bear in Sammamish

BY Jillian Raftery  on May 24, 2012 @ 12:52 pm (Updated: 2:54 pm - 5/24/12 )

A woman crashed her car into a bear at SE 8th Street in Sammamish on Thursday morning.

"The driver was obviously a bit shaken up, but uninjured. And she saw the bear scoot off into the woods," says Sammamish Police Sgt. Jessica Sullivan.

While neither the driver nor the bear were injured, the car was wrecked after the crash.

"There was front-end damage to the vehicle, such that it's not drivable," says Sgt. Sullivan.

In the springtime, it's common for large animals like bears and cougars to wander into suburban areas.

Bears look for food in trash cans near houses after they wake up from hibernating. Most of the time the bears don't pose a threat to humans.

"We have bear sightings fairly frequently in the city this time of year, but car-versus-bear accidents are a bit more uncommon," says Sgt. Sullivan.

Witnesses say the bear was able to run into the woods after the crash and didn't seem to be injured.

Jillian Raftery, Social Media Captain
Jillian Raftery is a social media captain for the Dori Monson Show. She loves the neighborly vibe of the Pacific Northwest and spends as much time as possible outdoors.
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Comments (7)


  • Add A Comment

  • CH wrote...
    ******** AMBER ALERT ******** . . . .
    May 24, 2012 5:15 pm
    bee on the look out for a bear. Tall dark and hairy. Answer to gentle ben
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    A bear in Sammamish. .. A tiger in Puyallup.
    May 24, 2012 5:50 pm
    Now all we need is a lion and we can all go down the Yellow Brick Road.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zoeller wrote...
    Ron we already have the lion!
    May 25, 2012 6:02 am
    A mountian lion in Arlington released yesterday.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    OH, MY
    May 26, 2012 7:11 am
    ..
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WT wrote...
    Yea, no danger to humans??
    May 25, 2012 6:44 am
    Wait till the grizzes come in for dinner that the tree huggers have reintorduced.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zoeller wrote...
    WT- Just wait until the packs of wolves-
    May 25, 2012 7:46 am
    Start making their way over the Cascade Crest Trail. That is when the real mayhem will start. Dumb tree huggers!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    The bear was uninjured?
    May 25, 2012 11:44 pm
    With so much damage to the car, who made the assessment that the bear was NOT injured?

    Dumb heads. Did anyone consider asking said bear, before making such a statement?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }