Video: Mountain biker in California crashes into bear

A mountain biker in California got a fright while riding on a trail in the Sierra Nevada last week when he crashed into a bear that was crossing the route.

Davis Souza posted a video to Instagram of the incident, which happened on the Mills Peak Lookout Trail northwest of Sacramento and was captured on his helmet camera.

Luckily, the animal continued on its way, leaving Souza on the ground, and he can be heard saying, “Yeah … that was a bear.”

 

#tramplebearstuesday this bear came out of nowhere and was gone before I could ask if it was alright or anything... Volume up! #tahoemassive #fail #bear #ouch @jerryoftheday Jukin Media Verified (Original) * For licensing / permission to use: Contact - licensing(at)jukinmediadotcom

A video posted by Davis Souza (@savydouza) on Jun 14, 2016 at 3:34pm PDT

Bear attacks on humans are very rare, with on average three deaths a year in the whole of the United States and Canada since the turn of the century attributed to brown (including grizzly) or black bears, and none of those in California.

Such attacks fall into three broad categories – the animal protecting itself and cubs or its territory, or for predatory reasons.

A cyclist in Alaska survived a bear attack in 2010 after remembering expert advice to play dead.

> Alaska cyclist survives bear attack

In 2013, Brad Paras posted footage to YouTube that showed him and his cousin being charged three times while out on their bikes in Alberta, Canada by a female grizzly bear protecting her cub, with both riders escaping unscathed.