Queen Grizzly of the Tetons has been killed!
The commuter who hit and killed Grizzly 399 on Tuesday night in the Snake River Canyon was aware of wildlife in the area and driving cautiously when the accident occurred, officials said Friday.
He also managed to avoid one bear — presumably 399’s yearling cub — after two bears entered the road ahead of him, according to a redacted police report released Friday evening to the Jackson Hole Daily.
“While traveling southbound on Hwy 89 two bears entered the roadway into [redacted] lane of travel,” states the police report, written Wednesday by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Deputy James Hunting.
The driver “swerved missing one but the other made contact with [redacted] vehicle, causing the front-end collision,” Hunting wrote.
The car’s airbag deployed and, when the deputy arrived at 11:22 p.m., first responders were on scene.
“No signs of impairment, distracted driving or criminal activity were observed,” Hunting wrote. “The amount of damage observed was consistent to a vehicle collision with an animal at the posted speed.”
On Friday, law enforcement provided the Daily with public records for the first time since the fatal crash that killed 399. They also provided in-depth interviews about the accident. A four-legged celebrity, Grizzly 399 was a world-famous matriarch, raising 18 cubs over nearly three decades in Grand Teton National Park where throngs of wildlife watchers have followed her every move.
Officials said the driver was not at fault in Tuesday’s collision and argued that blaming the driver was wrong.
“It truly was an accident,” Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Lieutenant John Stetzenbach said in an interview. “Those things do happen with the wildlife that we have here in Wyoming. It was not the driver driving in a careless manner or in a distracted manner.” READ MORE…