PETERSHAM – A 71-year-old man from Orange was injured Saturday morning when the motorcycle he was operating collided with a bear on Route 122/New Salem Road in Petersham.
A statement from Petersham Police Chief Peter Buck said the operator was traveling north on the highway when it struck an adult bear weighing approximately 160 pounds and was thrown from the motorcycle. The State Police’s New Braintree Dispatch Center received a call reporting the accident at 10:08 a.m. Saturday.
Buck and Petersham Fire Chief Bob Legare responded to the scene, according to the release. While caring for the injured operator, they were joined by members of the Petersham Fire Department and Athol Fire and EMS.
The patient was transported to a landing zone located at Petersham Center School and then by LifeFlight to UMass/Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. His injuries were described as serious.
Buck requested that the Orange Police Department notify the injured man’s family. The motorcycle was removed from the scene by Dale’s Auto of Athol, and the bear was removed by state Environmental Police, according to Buck.
Buck thanked the Petersham Police Department, Petersham Fire Department, Athol Fire
Department and EMS, the New Salem Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Environmental Police, Massachusetts State Police Dispatch C-8 and B-2, UMass Life-Flight, and the Orange Police Department for their assistance.