WASHINGTON COUNTY, NC.-- A 600-pound black bear is dead after a driver hit Monday morning in Eastern North Carolina.
The crash happened around 5:15 on Highway 64 in Washington County between Roper and Creswell according to a Facebook post from the North Carolina Black Bear Festival page.
Pictures of a Pontiac passenger car taken directly after the accident show the car to be badly damaged in the front end. The bear is seen lying on its back in some nearby woods.
The driver wasn't hurt. The bear died from injuries sustained from the collision.
"Fortunately, the driver of the car this morning was unhurt," the post reads. "We can't say the same for his car or - tragically - for the bear."
Car Crashes Into, Kills Bear on Highway 64 in Eastern NC
The post warns that bears are more active around this time of year, with peak activity coming during breeding season from mid-May to mid-July.
The Albemarle/Pamlico peninsula carries a high bear population where crashes involving bears are common. The state Wildlife Resources Commission says 209 bears were killed in North Carolina in 2017.
"The bottom line here is "Be Bear Aware" when you are driving here in Bear-olina!" the post concludes.
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