Driver hits large bear on Hwy. 101 near Santa Margarita

A Grover Beach woman was not injured after hitting a large bear that totaled her car late Saturday night.

Lynai Williams, 21, said she was alone in her 2006 Honda Civic and headed home on Highway 101 from a Paso Robles bowling alley about 11:30 p.m. north of Highway 58 when she hit the bear — forcing her car to flip over and slide down the freeway about 50 feet on its roof.

“Something heavy just hit me, and before I knew it, my car was swerving on the road and I’m upside down looking at my windshield,” she said.

Williams, who has a 6-month-old daughter, said Sunday that she thought she was going to die.

The car came to a stop on its own in the slow lane.

She described being initially disoriented and panicked when the car stopped, adding that she was afraid she was trapped in the car. But, she said, she was able to open the car door and get out.

Bystanders called 911 and helped Williams after she got out of the vehicle.

Williams said she was initially unsure what had happened — if she had been hit by another car, or if she had hit a deer. She added that the last thing she would have expected was to have run into a bear.

CHP estimated to her that the bear weighed about 400 pounds, Williams said. The bear was killed in the collision.

CHP Sgt. Timothy Wilson said Sunday that he couldn’t confirm any information about the incident, adding that it wasn’t unusual for such an accident to occur. He expected a report would be available Monday.

Williams said she was wearing her seat belt and was not distracted before the accident.

“It was a very unfortunate accident, and I hope people aren’t mad at me for hurting the bear,” she said.

It is not unusual for bears and other large animals to wander onto Highway 101 north of the Cuesta Grade.

In 2011, wildlife authorities said a 2.5-mile segment of road from the Highway 58 interchange south to the railroad overcrossing had been the scene of an unusually high number of collisions over the years between cars and large animals such as bears and deer. The area is a major crossing point for wildlife traveling through the Santa Lucia Mountains.

As a deterrent, Caltrans installed electrified pads on four roads near Tassajara Creek. The pads administer a mild shock to any animal that steps on them.

Caltrans also began replacing barbed-wire fences with special wildlife fencing designed to keep out large animals. The goal was to channel large animals to locations where they can safely cross beneath the freeway.

It could not be learned Sunday how well Caltrans’ efforts have succeeded overall.

This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Driver hits large bear on Hwy. 101 near Santa Margarita."