Grover Beach Woman Blindsided by a Bear on Highway 101 Shares Terrifying Tale

Last Saturday, a drive down southbound U.S. Highway 101 near Santa Margarita turned into a very scary experience for a Grover Beach woman.

The 400-pound bear blindsided her car causing it to flip over. The bear died, but the driver escaped without a scratch.

Lynai Williams, 21, Grover Beach said her 6-month-old baby’s picture frames, a stroller, and herself were unharmed after the collision.

Williams said she didn’t know what hit her, or what she hit. She said it all happened so fast.

“Next thing I know my car is swerving, I’m upside down. Watching my car sliding down the freeway, there are sparks everywhere. All I can think of was my daughter. It was the first time in my life I thought I would die,” she said.

Williams said she was not distracted, and she wasn’t speeding. Her car was totaled.

The California Highway Patrol says people hit animals like deer more often but once a year they do get reports of people hitting bear. They say sometimes there is no way to avoid hitting a wild animal.

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Note: Due to a reporter’s error, an earlier version of this story included a photograph taken by a freelance photojournalist, which the station did not have the rights to use. The image has been removed. We regret the error.