Car hits bear on Tomsk region road, three people hospitalised
Version 2: The picture is now much fuller: the business outlets add the road, date, vehicle and ages of those in the car, and Kommersant reports the region-wide heightened-readiness regime and earlier fatal bear attacks, none of which appeared in the previous version.
In short
A Ford Mondeo hit a bear that walked onto a road in Tomsk Oblast on the evening of 5 October, then went into a ditch and overturned. Three people in the car — a 28-year-old driver, a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man — were taken to hospital with injuries, and the bear died. The collision happened as a heightened-readiness regime is in force across the region because of bear attacks that killed several people in Russia in August and September.
Read the full story 2 min read
A Ford Mondeo driven by a 28-year-old hit a bear that walked out onto the roadway on the 9th kilometre of the Kamaevka–Asino–Pervomayskoye road in Tomsk Oblast on the evening of 5 October, the regional interior ministry press service said, according to Interfax and Kommersant. After the impact the car went off into a ditch and overturned, the ministry said. [ 3 , 4 ]
Interfax quoted the ministry as saying: “An automobile Ford Mondeo under the control of a 28-year-old driver struck a bear that had come out onto the roadway. After the collision the car went into a ditch and overturned.” Three people were in the vehicle — the driver, a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man — and all three were hospitalised with injuries, according to Interfax and Kommersant. RIA Novosti and TASS reported three people injured; TASS, Interfax and Kommersant said the bear died. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant placed the accident in a wider context of dangerous encounters with bears: in August and September several Russians died in bear attacks, with victims in the Republic of Altai, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast, and in late September two residents of a Tomsk village died. A heightened-readiness regime has been introduced across the whole of Tomsk Oblast because of bears, and mass events outside and on the outskirts of populated areas are banned in the region, Kommersant reported. [ 4 ]
Kommersant explained that the heightened-readiness regime means a bear coming out towards people is treated as a task for the response system: when there is a threat to life, police, hunting oversight and other specialists must act jointly to find the animal and render it harmless. The stated practical purpose, the outlet said, is to reduce the number of dangerous contacts in advance and to warn residents, especially children, of the potential threat; in regions where similar restrictions were introduced they also covered events held in nature, so organisers have to account not only for the safety of a venue but for the possibility of a predator appearing near people. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
Three people were hospitalised, and the crash came while Tomsk Oblast is under a heightened-readiness regime imposed over bear attacks in which several Russians, including two residents of a Tomsk village, died in August and September. Under that regime mass events outside and on the outskirts of populated areas are banned, so the incident feeds an existing regional safety debate rather than standing alone.
Key facts
- A Ford Mondeo driven by a 28-year-old hit a bear on the 9th kilometre of the Kamaevka–Asino–Pervomayskoye road in Tomsk Oblast on the evening of 5 October. [ 3 , 4 ]
- After the impact the car went off into a ditch and overturned. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Three people were injured and hospitalised: the driver, a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The bear died in the collision. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- A heightened-readiness regime is in force across Tomsk Oblast because of bears, and mass events outside and on the outskirts of settlements are banned. [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reported that in August and September several Russians died in bear attacks, including two residents of a Tomsk village in late September. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A car hit a bear on a road in Tomsk Oblast, injuring three people. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The bear died. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The collision took place on the 9th kilometre of the Kamaevka–Asino–Pervomayskoye road on the evening of 5 October, as reported by the regional interior ministry press service. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The vehicle was a Ford Mondeo driven by a 28-year-old; the passengers were a 19-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The exact time of the collision. Interfax and Kommersant say only that it happened on the evening of 5 October; no hour is given.
- The severity of the injuries to the three people hospitalised. All documents say they were injured or hospitalised but none describes their condition.
- The identities of the driver and passengers. Only ages and, for the driver, the car model are reported; no names appear.
- Whether the bear was already near the road or crossing it for a known reason. Interfax and Kommersant say the bear walked out onto the roadway but give no further circumstances.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A Ford Mondeo hits a bear on the 9th kilometre of the Kamaevka–Asino–Pervomayskoye road in Tomsk Oblast; the car goes into a ditch and overturns. [ 3 , 4 ]
- RIA Novosti publishes a short report that a car hit a bear and three people were hurt. [ 1 ]
- TASS reports three injuries and states that the bear died. [ 2 ]
- Interfax publishes the interior ministry press service account with the road, vehicle and ages. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant publishes its report and adds the regional context of bear attacks and the heightened-readiness regime. [ 4 ]