A driver escaped with minor injuries when his car collided with a bear Thursday evening on Route 981 in Loyalhanna Township, according to first responders.

The crash was reported shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Route 981, between Pump Station Road and Mulberry Drive.

“It’s a rather rural area,” said Bill McClelland, assistant chief with Saltsburg Volunteer Fire Department.

The man was driving south when his small sedan struck the bear, which continued on, McClelland said.

The driver, who traveling alone, was evaluated at the scene by medics.

The car had moderate damage on its front driver’s side and had to be towed, according to McClelland.

Emergency crews couldn’t immediately locate the bear.

The driver “did say it was a rather large bear, but there wasn’t any passerby able to verify the size of it,” McClelland said.

State police from the Kiski Valley station investigated and said the Pennsylvania Game Commission was notified of the incident.

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