Bear 1, Ford 0…
A man driving his classic car on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania had an unfortunate encounter with a bear. The incident, which took place on July 7, involved 80-year-old Wilhelm Joerman, who lives in Stamford. While enjoying his 1957 Ford Del Rio, Joerman hit a bear which was crossing the road at about mile marker 78.5 in the westbound lanes. As one would imagine in a contest between a classic Ford and a bear, the bear came out on top.
Good thing this guy didn't swerve, or he could've ended up like this.
According to documents from the Pennsylvania State Police, the only damage done to Joerman’s ’57 Ford was on the front bumper and grille. Considering how large bears can get, the man is lucky it didn’t crumple more than that. After all, we’ve seen accidents with deer which did even more damage, although that was usually because the driver swerved and went off the road.
To Joerman’s credit, the man didn’t swerve but instead stayed in his lane. Not only was his classic Ford damaged, he reportedly wasn’t wearing a seatbelt (there likely wasn’t one installed in the car) but the elderly man miraculously wasn’t injured.
As for the bear, we have no idea if it was hurt by the collision or not. One would suspect if it had been seriously injured there would’ve been blood on the car and the road, a detail which would’ve been included in the police report. Since there’s no mention of anything of the sort, we’re left to conclude the bear was just fine, if not maybe a little annoyed. The Pennsylvania Game Commission did respond to the scene along with the Corsica Fire Department.
This just goes to show you never know what might be just down the road as you go through a turn, so stay sharp. Driver alertness really is one of the best defenses you have.
Source: Connect FM
