A middle school teacher in Missoula, Montana will be taking the week off after hitting a bear with his bicycle. “I was lucky. I was truly lucky, because I accosted the bear and he let me live.” Evidently, this is what people talk like in Missoula.
Jim Litz says he was driving 25mph when he realized a black bear was ten feet in front of him. Unable to swerve in time, he hit the bear, flew over the handlebars and bonked his head on the bear. The bear then catapulted over Litz, breaking his helmet and scratching his back before scurrying away. Litz’s wife soon drove by and took her injured hubby to the hospital.
According to Litz, bear dodging is normally a fun thing for him.
I’ve come close to them this time of year. I know bears. The entire creek bottom is just hammered by bears. That’s the beauty of living here. But typically, they’re crossing the road and I have plenty of time to avoid them.
After treating his injuries, Litz called the state game wardens to let them know the bear might be injured. Wardens doubted it, as the day a middle school teacher hurts a bear with his bike is the day bears stop being badass. And bears are still badass. [Missoulian]
