'We don't see a lot of bears': 400-pound black bear killed in Martin County traffic accident

A 400-pound black bear was struck and killed by a vehicle in a rare wildlife encounter near Southwest Martin Highway and Southwest Warfield Boulevard in Martin County on Monday morning. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene around 8 a.m. after receiving a 911 call. "911, is your emergency police, fire, or medical?" the dispatcher asked. "Just reporting somebody hit a bear," the caller said. Deputies said the driver stopped immediately and stayed with the animal until authorities arrived. Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News"This was a significant incident for us because we don't see a lot of bears here in Martin County or on the Treasure Coast," Maj. Ruben Romero said. The male bear, weighing approximately 400 pounds, died at the scene.Residents in the area said the encounter was unusual. "We live like in the middle of the woods, and we've never seen one, but that's pretty crazy that they are so close cause this is like right here and we live right there. That's really crazy," Lilly Tumoszwicz said. Resident Sara Howell expressed concern."Of course, it's very sad that the bear was killed and scared for the driver. Hopefully, they were OK," Howell said. Resident Isabella Puga is sad."I’d also be like kind of scared because I would not expect a black bear to be on the road,” Puga said.Investigators said the driver was shaken but not injured. BLACK BEAR: Black bear makes multiple visits to Port St. Lucie neighborhoodThe bear will be taken to a biologist to collect data and determine why it was in the area. "I spoke to that biologist. We do not have a problem with bears. Likely what was happening is this bear was dispersing. Dispersing is when a bear reaches a certain age, it tends to separate from its mother, from its pack or whatever you call it, and starts to look for its own habitat, its own place to live," Romero said.While sightings like these are rare, a bear was spotted in Port St. Lucie earlier this month."We've had a few sightings here on the Treasure Coast. I know Port St. Lucie had one, and about a year ago we had a bear here," Romero said. "Likely it's all a dispersing; also it's mating season, so they're traveling looking for mates and to try and figure out where their new home is going to be."Drivers are urged to use extra caution, especially during the early morning and evening hours in rural areas where wildlife is common.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25