Car hits bear in Merrimack; all seem OK

MERRIMACK – Lynn McGee was on her way to celebrate her birthday with her grandson, granddaughter and daughter-in-law at her daughter’s Merrimack home when an unexpected visitor interrupted their journey.

At about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, on Wire Road, Merrimack, her 20-year-old grandson had only a few seconds to react before hitting a black bear crossing the road. “We were driving around 30 miles per hour, and I was sitting next to my grandson in the front seat when he said ‘a bear!’ ” McGee said. “I couldn’t pull that all together; I looked out front and saw nothing. Then I heard the thud.”

The thump was barely out of the ordinary, according to McGee. “It was like if you went over a raccoon or a good-sized animal,” she said. “It was minimal, but I felt it.”

Her grandson stopped his Volvo station wagon and pulled over, just quick enough for his mom and sister, sitting in the backseat, to watch the bear “spin around and run off.” A female driver also pulled over to make sure everyone was all right.

In all the commotion, McGee was too worried about her grandson’s driving to see Yogi flee, she said.

WHAT TO DO

The family then checked the car for damage.

“We checked the wheel and looked for blood,” McGee said. “We didn’t see any blood, but there was moisture on the wheel. Whether it was his snoot or his saliva, we don’t know.”

The family got back in the car and continued to drive to the birthday party, watching out the window to see if they could find their furry friend.

They made a call to Merrimack’s animal control but chose not to file a report to police because the bear had run off.

“We really thought (animal control) would hopefully go out and see if it was around because if it was injured, there’s a lot of homes right there,” McGee said. “It could’ve been nasty if it was injured.”

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department could not be reached for further information about New Hampshire car accidents with bears.