Bear dies after being struck by vehicle south of Denver

A bear was struck by a vehicle in Colorado on Wednesday and died sometime later. That's according Colorado Parks and Wildlife, who said it happened in the morning in Lone Tree.

The Lone Tree Police Department said the one-year-old bear was hit around 8:30 a.m. on Yosemite Street near Heritage Hills Parkway.

The driver of the vehicle was uninjured.

Police say CPW tranquilized the bear afterward, while it was still alive, and were hoping to try to save it but the effort was ultimately unsuccessful.

LTPD says the incident started when a neighbor saw the bear in their backyard. By the time they arrived at the scene, the crash had already happened.

Lone Tree Police Commander Ron Pinson said, "You have to pay attention while you're driving down the road. Whether it's a person or an animal or whatever. You should be aware. You can swerve around them. Avoid them. Slow down. Just let them have a path to get through."

Police closed the roadway for over an hour.

LPD advised that there has been bear activity in the area and asked the community to give bears their distance. They say most bear-human conflicts involve food and asked residents to be sure to keep their trash containers closed, grills clean and food stored properly.