Car hits bear on I-15

Usually when people think of road kill, bears are the last thing that come to mind. A father and daughter had a different experience after they collided with a bear on Interstate 15.

Lane Morgan and his daughter, Claire Morgan, were heading to a family birthday party in Montana Saturday morning. As they neared Exit 47 on northbound I-15, a big surprise ran out in front of them.

“All of a sudden, out of nowhere by the on-ramp of McCammon, a bear darted right out in front of us,” said Lane Morgan.

The black bear flew into the median after the collision. Its shoulder was completely shattered, according to Idaho State Police. It was euthanized on the spot by ISP.

ISP Cpl. Robert Christiansen responded to the call for the accident, but he didn’t believe a bear was actually involved until he saw it in person.

“I was a little skeptical,” said Christiansen. “Most of the time when we get a call like that, it’s a confused tourist or someone unfamiliar with wildlife.”

While this may be southeastern Idaho’s first bear-on-car accident in that spot, bears are fairly common in nearby areas like Lava Hot Springs.

According to Ryan Ewing, senior conservation officer with Idaho Fish and Game, the local bear population is growing. So for a bear to be seen on the interstate, it just means they’re moving.

“As more and more habitat is available to these bears, they are going to move around from Monarchs up into this range here,” he said.

So should more accidents like this be expected in the future?

“As the population of bears grow, we could see that happening, but not in the near future,” Ewing said.

Fish and Game are currently doing studies in Franklin County and trying to get a population count of bears. The growing bear population is a statewide trend.