A 55-year-old Jackson man was seriously hurt and airlifted to a hospital Wednesday evening after his Harley-Davidson collided with a bear on a winding Idaho highway just west of the Wyoming state line.
The crash happened at about 5:37 p.m. on Idaho Highway 31 near milepost 7, north of Swan Valley, according to the Idaho State Police.
The Jackson man was riding north on a 2016 Harley-Davidson when he struck the bear. He was not wearing a helmet, police reported.
Authorities have not released his name or said Thursday which hospital he was flown to or provided an update on his condition.
What happened to the bear also remained unclear.
Marissa Williams, who passed through the scene after spending about 45 minutes trapped in the resulting traffic backup, saw something along the highway that left her doubtful the animal simply got up and walked away.
“At first I thought it was a beaver," she told Cowboy State Daily. "There was a big chunk of flesh and hair on the road."
“Hopefully the motorcycle rider is OK, because that would be devastating,” Williams said.
Something Up Ahead
Williams lives in Idaho Falls and works in Jackson, making the drive four days a week. Before that, while working as a postpartum doula, she often traveled the route at night.
She estimates she's made the trip about 500 times.
On Wednesday evening, she was headed home when the traffic ahead of her began to thicken and then stop.
There hadn't been construction there the day before. Cars weren't coming from the opposite direction, either.
Williams used a satellite connection to text her husband in Ammon, Idaho, and tell him she would be late getting home.
“He's like, ‘I'm pretty sure Life Flight just went across. It must be something serious,’” she said.
Eventually, authorities began letting vehicles through one direction at a time.
An ambulance passed Williams as she approached the scene. Then came the wreckage — the motorcycle, debris and medical material scattered around the pavement.
What she saw as she passed the crash site was gruesome enough that Williams initially couldn't tell what kind of animal had been struck.
“I've probably driven that pass and that canyon about 500 times,” Williams said. “But I've never seen a bear in there, so I was pretty surprised when I found out it was a bear.”
Fall Bear Encounters
The crash is still under investigation, and Idaho State Police have not said whether speed or any other factor contributed.
The northbound lanes of Highway 31 were blocked for about four hours while emergency crews worked.
Idaho Fish and Game had not yet confirmed as Thursday what species of bear was struck or whether it survived.
In September, Idaho Fish and Game warned that drought and a shortage of natural foods were pushing bears into places they don't normally go as they search for calories before winter hibernation.
Swan Valley has already had at least one notable bear encounter this year.
In July, a black bear broke through the window screen of an occupied Swan Valley home, ransacked the kitchen and ate a pumpkin pie.
It returned the following night and got into garbage. Idaho Fish and Game later trapped and euthanized it and reminded residents to secure food and other bear attractants.
Just days before Wednesday's motorcycle crash, two people were hurt during an Oct. 2 encounter with a juvenile black bear near Salmon, Idaho. One was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
Fish and Game again pointed to drought and food scarcity, saying bears are being driven closer to people as they pack on calories before hibernation.
Wildlife Vs. Vehicles
Bears may be an unusual obstacle, but collisions between vehicles and wildlife are not rare in Idaho.
The Idaho Transportation Department reports an average of about 1,010 wildlife crashes on Idaho highways and interstates each year. State transportation officials say wildlife collisions typically kill between one and four people annually.
The state also tracks wildlife collision hot spots using crash reports, carcass locations and information about animal movement.
Cowboy State Daily has asked Idaho Fish and Game for information about bear-vehicle collisions in recent years and whether the area around Highway 31 is known for bear activity or wildlife collisions.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
