Pickup Truck Strikes Black Bear in Richland County, Ohio
A male black bear was struck by a pickup truck in Richland County, Ohio on June 14. The Mansfield post of the Ohio Highway Patrol reported that the bear had to be euthanized at the scene due to the severity of its injuries.
The incident occurred just days after a black bear was spotted approximately 60 miles away in Licking County, marking the first sighting in that county in over 20 years. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), black bears were considered extinct in Ohio by the 1850s due to deforestation and hunting. However, they have begun to reappear as populations in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and West Virginia continue to grow.
The Ohio Black Bear Monitoring Report from November 2023 indicates that black bears are making a gradual comeback, with an estimated in-state population ranging between 50 and 100.
Details of the Crash
Troopers responded to a one-vehicle, non-injury crash on Ohio 546 near Black Road at around 7 a.m. The incident involved a pickup truck pulling a livestock trailer. Dawson Staley, an 18-year-old from Fredericktown, was driving his 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck north on Ohio 546 when the bear entered the roadway from the west, resulting in the collision.
Fortunately, Staley was not injured in the crash. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was notified, and ODNR officers removed the bear from the scene.
