2 Friends Total Car After Hitting Bear On Highway

Cyndi Marie Thompson / Facebook

A lady and her friend from Brainerd, Minnesota are very fortunate to have survived after hitting a bear in her new car going 70mph.

20-year-old Cynthia Thompson was driving down the highway with her 19-year-old friend Tyler Peterson on Friday night looking to have a good time when the bear ran out in front of them. According to Cynthia, everything happened fast.

“I remember being hit. I remember being whipped around the car. I was terrified. I didn’t think I was going to be OK. I literally thought that I was going to die,” Cynthia said. “It came out of nowhere. We didn’t even have time to stop. We hit it full-on at 70 miles per hour. With that impact, it literally felt like we hit a brick wall.”

The car took off spinning, hitting trees before rolling over upside down in a ditch. Cynthia told the media that she was a bit dazed and confused but followed her seatbelt back to the buckle and was able to unlatch it.

She then laid underneath Tyler because all the glass had broken underneath him and used herself as a shield to catch Tyler, and let him fall on her as she unbuckled his seatbelt. They then crawled out the back window and flagged down a car driving past.

The friends were then taken to the hospital where they received medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Later, police asked Cynthia if she wanted to keep the bear carcass and here’s what she had to say:

“I didn’t get to see the bear personally. I didn’t want to see the bear. I wanted nothing to do with the bear,” she said. “It was my car that got totaled. I just bought that car two months ago, too, and I just made my second car payment to it.” 

Other than a minor concussion, a sprained ankle, and some bruises, Cynthia is doing just fine. As for Tyler, he’s fine too, just a little sore from the car crash. You can watch a news report on the accident below.