Black Bear Hit on 195 in Marion by Medical Transport Van

A black bear was hit on Interstate 195 westbound in Marion earlier this morning.

Massachusetts State Police confirm that the bear was struck at around 10 a.m. by a medical transport van that was transporting an elderly person to the hospital. The transport van was towed and the environmental police were notified. EMS was on scene to transport the elderly person from the accident scene to the hospital.

Luckily for the driver and the passenger, there were no injuries reported. However, the status of the black bear is still unknown as the bear fled from the crash scene and ran into the woods where it has yet to be found.

Lately, there's been a popular black bear spotted across the SouthCoast area that migrated down from the Foxborough woodland area down to Wareham, with some reports placing him in Carver, Middleboro and Mattapoisett in recent weeks as well. Local law enforcement agencies have affectionately dubbed him "Boo Boo."

Boo Boo was spotted in the South Wareham area on Father's Day, June 20, and has been wondering the area since. It is not confirmed that the bear that was hit earlier this morning was Boo Boo, but it stands to reason it could be him considering how much he's gotten around.

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Since June and July are the months that make up black bear mating season, which is probably accounting for the increased bear sightings in the area, always be aware on the roadways, now more than ever. According to Bear.org, a typical female black bear can range from 90-180 pounds, whereas a male black bear can get up to 130-600 pounds – clearly big enough to do some hefty damage to your vehicle and even to your person.