Driver injured after striking bear in Itasca County

A driver was injured after crashing into a bear in northern Minnesota last week.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a Chevy Captiva struck the bear on Highway 169 in Itasca County at around 9:30 p.m. on Apr. 13.

The driver, a 33-year-old Nashwauk woman, sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to the hospital. Two passengers in the car were uninjured.

There is no word on the condition of the bear.

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office reported another traffic incident involving an animal early Thursday morning, with the driver of a GMC Sierra swerving into a ditch on the 500 block of Spicer Avenue in Raymond at around 2:30 a.m.

The 19-year-old driver told police they swerved to avoid a deer, with an 18-year-old passenger taken to a medical facility for non-life threatening injuries.