Three Dead, Several Hospitalized After SUV Hits Bear
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An SUV crashed into a 300-pound bear Sunday, causing a chain reaction wreck that left three people dead and several others injured.
The three people that died were identified Monday as Yoel Menendez, 44, Ricoberto Llanez, 43, and 46-year-old Alain Navarro, all residents of Miami-Dade County. They were traveling in a group of three pickup trucks, carrying eight people total, which all stopped as a result of the collision.
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Sunday night, shortly before 7 p.m., a Cadillac Escalade driven by Caroline Billie struck a Florida Black Bear on a dark two-lane stretch of Snake Road in Alligator Alley on the Big Cypress Seminole reservation, according to Seminole Tribe Spokesman Gary Bitner.
"She was alone and saw the bear, tried to avoid it but couldn't and hit the bear," said Bitner.
Billie, a resident of the Big Cypress Community, was not injured.
The black bear, a 300-pound adult male, died as result of the crash.
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The impact caused the SUV to end up facing oncoming traffic.
Following the initial accident, the three pickup trucks, carrying Menendez, Llanez and Navarro, pulled over to help Billie.
The three men were killed when a Mercedes, driven by Gary McInturff of Hollywood, slammed into the Billie's SUV, bounced off another car and hit the pedestrians.
Eight people were taken to two hospitals in Broward County; six were transported to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and two were transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
Five people, including McInturff, were treated and released. Three people remain in the hospital. Two people involved in the crash were not injured.
The Seminole Police Department is investigating the crash. No word on if anyone will be cited or face any charges.
Although motor vehicle accidents involving black bears are rare in South Florida, this is not the first accident involving a Black Bear in the area. About five years ago another bear was killed. No humans, however, were injured.
There are an estimated 3,000 black bears living in Florida.
More than half of all the bear deaths occur around Ocala National Forest.
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