3 people, 1 bear dead after chain of crashes in Florida

MIAMI — Three people died and eight were injured in a chain of car crashes that began when a woman driving an SUV hit and killed a black bear on a dark, remote road in the Florida Everglades region, a police spokesman said on Monday.

The driver, who emerged unhurt, initially struck a bear weighing about 300 pounds within the nearby Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, said Gary Bitner, spokesman for the tribe and its police department.

Several other drivers pulled over to see if she needed help, and within minutes, another vehicle hit some of the stopped cars before plowing into the crowd of people standing near them, Bitner said.

Three people, all residents of Miami-Dade County, died at the scene, according to police.

Of the eight who were hurt, five were treated and released from area hospitals and three were admitted with injuries that did not appear life-threatening, Bitner said.

The 50,000-acre Big Cypress reservation is the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s largest, Bitner said.

“We’ve never had an accident involving a bear before,” he said, but added bears are known to roam in the Everglades region in south Florida.

Police for the tribe are investigating the crash.