Man killed in car crash dragged out of vehicle by bear, authorities say

HATFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM/Gray News) – Authorities in Massachusetts said a man is dead after a bear pulled him out of his vehicle following a car crash.

However, there have been conflicting reports about the bear’s involvement, with Massachusetts State Police taking down their initial report.

The victim was identified as 31-year-old Daniel Ducharme. Officials said he was the only person in the vehicle.

According to Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio, the vehicle was heading southbound on I-91 in Hatfield around 11 a.m. Sunday when the driver lost control.

The vehicle hit a guardrail several times, went off the road, down an embankment, then entered woods and hit several trees, Procopio said.

Ducharme was either fully or partially ejected from the vehicle and was later dragged from the car by a bear, according to the initial state police report.

Procopio said that emergency crews saw a bear in the woods near the crash scene and that “evidence suggests the bear at some point had made contact with the victim’s body.”

The bear reportedly left the area while first responders were at the scene.

Investigators are trying to figure out what caused Ducharme to lose control of his vehicle in the first place.

It’s also unclear if the crash killed Ducharme or if the bear did, but Procopio said he “most likely” died in the crash.

Massachusetts State Police is still investigating; however, their original report has been taken down.

WGGB reached out to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs about the situation and received a statement that read: “The Massachusetts Environmental Police and MassWildlife euthanized a bear in Hatfield. There is no threat to public safety.”

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