Massachusetts State Police announced the discovery of a bear making a car crash victim into a meal in Hatfield, MA. 31-year-old Daniel Ducharme, of South Hadley, is presumed to have died during the crash on Route 91 South in Hatfield. First reported by CBS News, his luck only got worse from there. According to their evidence, he was “either fully ejected or partially ejected and later dragged from the car by the bear.”
Discovered in the late morning, Ducharme had crashed into the woods and was not alive to tell the tale. When Troopers arrived, they found his 2016 Honda Civic had been essentially destroyed. According to their statement, “When first responders reached the scene, the deceased male occupant of the vehicle was outside the car and a bear was observed in the woods in the vicinity of the scene. Evidence suggests the bear at some point had made contact with the victim’s body.”
While the bear took off while the troopers were still on the scene, they were able to ascertain that he had been alone in the vehicle. Losing control of the vehicle, he struck the guardrail multiple times on the right side before exiting the shoulder. Going down a slope on the side of the road, he plowed into the woods before stopping.
Black bears like the one spotted by Ducharme are not uncommon in Mass, and this section of the state is part of their natural habitat. With estimates conservatively claiming there are 4,500 bears in the state, they are densely populated in areas like Hatfield.
Recently coming out of hibernation, the bears have been looking for food sources, and a meal like Ducharme doesn’t come around often for them. While deer (especially those on the side of the road) and other dead animals are their usual choices, they won’t hesitate to eat humans.
