'I pretty much kissed him and then flew through the air': Incredible moment mountain biker crashes into a BEAR and lives to tell the harrowing tale
Kevin Milner, 30, from North Vancouver, British Columbia collided with a black bear while riding his bike along a forest road. He received several injuries, including a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion and bruised ribs; the bear on the other hand, was perfectly fine
By James Gordon
Daily Mail
May 21, 2023
Despite his injuries, Kevin Milner managed to use an e-bike to make it out of the forest and reach emergency services before being taken to hospital overnight
A man who was riding his bike along a forest road collided with a black bear who suddenly blocked his path, and despite the crash he lived to tell of the ordeal.
Kevin Milner, 30, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was cycling through the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve around 8:30pm on Tuesday.
Suddenly, he rounded a bend and came across the massive animal blocking his path.
Rather than turn around, Milner decided he would attempt to navigate carefully around the beast, but the bear suddenly decided to run across the road and straight into the path of Milner's oncoming bike.
The collision with the mountain biker saw Milner's bike flip over the animal, coming back to earth with a crash.
Kevin Milner, 30, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, collided with a black bear while riding his bike through a forest road
Milner received several injuries, including a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion, and bruised ribs; the bear, on the other hand, was perfectly fine
The black bear, pictured above, suddenly ran across his path just as Milner had rounded a bend and tried to avoid the animal. But the bear moved into his path and they collided
The bear, meanwhile, quickly scampered off into the woods.
'The second I made that decision, he decided to run and he ran right across the road, right in front of me and I smashed into him right behind his shoulder blade,' Milner told North Shore News.
'I did a flip over him. I pretty much kissed the bear and then I guess I flew through the air.'
Milner was left with a number of injuries, including a fractured scapula, cardiac contusion, and bruised ribs.
Luckily, Milner was helped by several fellow cyclists who witnessed the accident.
Milner grew up in the local area and regularly commuted through the forest to avoid traffic - usually cars not bears
Two female cyclists raced to an area with better cellphone reception in order to call 911, while another who had been riding an e-bike stayed behind with Milner.
At one point, the bear suddenly reappeared but this time steered clear of the group.
'He was like, "Oh s***, dude. He's back. The bear's back,"' referring to a man who stayed with him to keep him company.
'He was kind of looking at me, really curious, kind of like, "What's up with you?" Then the bear just started eating grass. He pretty much just carried on with his day,' he said.
'Man, those bears are built like a truck,' Milner said. 'I thought I was going to die.'
It took some time for emergency services to reach the remote location and Milner became concerned about his own condition and feared he might have internal bleeding.
'It feels like the whole left side of my torso went to the dentist,' Milner said.
Black bears are rarely aggressive with actual attacks by black bears rare
He convinced a fellow biker to lend him his e-bike so he could ride to the forest entrance.
Paramedics from the British Columbia Ambulance Service met Milner at the edge of the forest and transported him to Lions Gate Hospital.
Milner, who grew up in the area, appeared relieved that he managed to survive the ordeal describing it as a quintessentially Canadian and North Vancouver experience.
He says he is now thinking of switching his biking commute from riding through the scenic Seymour Valley Trailway to a road where cars are present - where at least there would be no black bears to block his way.
'The reason I rode in the demonstration forest is just to get away from the traffic, right? But after hitting the bear, I mean, it's probably safer just riding with cars.
'I'm just really, really glad to be alive. It's like the most Canadian, North Vancouver thing that could ever happen,' Milner said.
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