Watch: Dirt Biker Collides with Black Bear

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A dirt bike rider had a harrowing experience as he zoomed along a tree-lined dirt road near Baldwin last month: He T-boned a black bear.

Chris Derweerdt, 20, of Lowell dumped his dirt bike after it collided with the bear, which also tumbled briefly before ambling back into the woods, apparently unfazed, according to an account on MLive.com. Derweerdt’s buddy, Andrew Finch, who filmed the whole thing with a helmet-mounted camera, also lay down his bike to avoid getting mixed up in the whole mess.

“It just kind of happened,” Derweerdt said.

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Neither Derweerdt nor Finch was seriously injured, though Derweerdt had a concussion and both men had bumps and bruises. They had to wait in the woods for about an hour before they were able to ride out and call for help.

Deweerdt uploaded Finch’s video on YouTube, where it’s been viewed thousands of times and has sparked a lively conversation among dirt bike enthusiasts who have had some near misses with deer and other wildlife.

“Dude, first of all let me say I’m glad you guys are relatively OK,” wrote Larry Bosler, who said he came close to hitting a deer while riding his quad near Kalkaska several years ago. He was close enough to touch the animal, but managed to avoid a collision.

Beyond that, Bosler said he was surprised that Derweerdt encountered a bear as far south Baldwin, which is located near the Manistee National Forest on Michigan’s west side.

“I knew black bears are coming farther downstate but who would have thought you would hit one on your motorcycle?” he wrote in the YouTube comment thread.

Another person, who posts as FlightyAngels, said “bear crossing” signs are popping up in places that used to be considered beyond bears’ range, adding: “Seriously, might as well not drive anywhere in (Michigan), what with the deer, bear, porcupine, skunk and other wildlife in this area. …”

WARNING: The video below contains profanity.