Bear killed this morning on I-95

After several days of reported sightings but little else in terms of solid evidence, there is confirmation of the presence of black bears in the Richmond area.

Virginia State Police say a tractor-trailer hauling cabinets struck and killed a black bear today on Interstate 95 near the Richmond-Chesterfield line.

The bear died instantly as a result of the collision, which occurred about 4:45 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-95 about a mile south of the Bells Road exit, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said.

The tractor-trailer driver was not injured, and the vehicle had only minor damage, Cunningham said.

There were a number of reported sightings of black bears last week in the Falling Creek area of Chesterfield, not far from where this morning’s fatality occurred, and there were several more reported sightings Sunday and yesterday in the city of Richmond.

Cunningham said the bear killed this morning “matches the description to some degree, but it may not ever be possible to determine that this was the bear. It certainly could be, but we don’t know at this point.“