Canadian Cyclist Crashes Into Bear: “I Thought I Was Going to Die”

A Canadian man is counting his blessings after surviving run-in with a black bear on his bicycle last week.

Kevin Milner, 30, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, suffered multiple injuries in the crash, including a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion, and bruised ribs. Milner was riding his bike in the early evening Tuesday, May 16 on the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve when he encountered the bear in the road. He had to choose between hitting the brakes or attempting to avoid the black bear, and his first instinct was to veer around the large animal.

“The second I made that decision, he decided to run and he ran right across the road, right in front of me and I smashed into him right behind his shoulder blade,” Milner told North Shore News. “I did a flip over him. I pretty much kissed the bear and then I guess I flew through the air.”

Milner soared and then took a hard fall onto the paved road, at which point other cyclists stopped to help. About 15 minutes later the bear returned, totally unfazed.

by Megan Plete Postol