Pregnant woman hit by car while running from bear

Ashley Swendsen had a really bad day. The pregnant woman, 26, was chased by a bear and then struck by a car as she fled across a road. The driver checked on Swendsen and then left the scene before Colorado Springs Police officers arrived.

Swendsen, who is five months pregnant, did not suffer serious injuries, but was taken to Memorial Hospital as a precaution, police said. She was treated and released.

The bear was not so lucky. Colorado Division of Wildlife officials tranquilized and captured a female, 230-pound black bear in the area.

After Swendsen identified her as the attacker - noting its cinnamon color - the bear was destroyed.

Swendsen was headed down a trail next to Cottonwood Creek - just east of I-25 and south of Woodmen Road - at about noon Thursday when she saw a bear in the creek, said Division of Wildlife spokesman Michael Seraphin. She walked away and the bear began to follow her; she began to run but the bear quickly gained on her, getting within 10 feet.

Swendsen scrambled up an embankment and onto Vincent Road, and that's where she was struck. An elderly woman in a black car hit her, stopped to talk with Swendsen to make sure she was OK, and then left, according to police and DOW.

Police and DOW officers then began to pursue the bear.

"We followed her through backyards, and she was in a backyard pond at one house," said Officer David Nelson, of the motorcycle unit.

They caught up to the bear about a mile from where it was first spotted, on the 1400 block of Rock Ridge Court. Nelson said DOW officers shot it in the hindquarters with a tranquilizer and the bear tried to rub out the dart on a tree. The second dart sent her sprawling.

Seraphin said the bear didn't seem frightened when officers came near, a sign of trouble.

"It didn't move at all. It didn't climb nearby trees," Seraphin said. "It was too familiar, not showing any fear of humans at all, and that's when they become the most dangerous."

Seraphin said bears have been emerging from hibernation for about three weeks now, and they frequent the creeks and drainages in this area, often following Cottonwood Creek and hanging out near Pulpit Rock Park.

As he stood in Cottonwood Creek examining bear tracks to make sure they didn't orphan any cubs, DOW area manager Shaun Deeney called the area "bear heaven." He said the creek acts as a funnel, drawing bears from a wide area that are looking to migrate from the mountains to the east, safely passing under I-25.

Police officers wondered what kind of lineup the DOW guys might use to make sure the captured bear wasn't a scapegoat. A photo lineup of different bears? Seraphin said they interviewed Swendsen and she described the bear's size and color very accurately; when they next showed her a picture, she said it was the same animal.

"It's hard to be a bear these days," lamented police Sgt. S.R. Ward. "They just want to act like a bear, and we keep getting in the way."

Bear smarts
The only bears in Colorado are black bears, even though they come in a variety of colors from blonde to black, said Division of Wildlife officials. Here's DOW spokesman Michael Seraphin's advice for a bear encounter:
· Be on the lookout for bears this time of year because they are emerging from hibernation and searching for food.

· If you see a bear, slowly back away, keeping an eye on it. You cannot outrun a bear that wants to catch you for very long.

· Although it is easier said than done, stand your ground if a black bear charges. This is typically a bluff charge so the bear can see what you'll do - if you stand your ground it often will stop, but if you run it will follow.

• If a bear attacks you, fight back with a rock or a stick or whatever is handy. The advice to play dead applies to grizzlies, which no longer live in Colorado.

Police want to talk to driver

Responding Officer Robert Dazey wants to speak to the driver who struck Ashley Swendsen. Police officials said it doesn't appear to be a hit-and-run, but they'd like more information. Dazey can be reached at the Falcon Division, 444-7240.