GEORGETOWN (CBS13) – Residents of Georgetown in El Dorado County are used to seeing wildlife like raccoon, deer, even mountain lions. But motorist Jennifer Loe was shocked when a bear jumped in front of her SUV while she was driving to work Tuesday morning.

Before sunrise Loe was driving on Highway 193 near Shoemaker Road when she hit the animal.

“It happened faster than I could think,” said Loe. “My ears were ringing. There was a lot of smoke from the airbags.”

After Loe slammed into the 250-pound black bear, she kept driving about 100 yards before pulling over on the side of the road.

“I actually wasn’t sure if the bear was down or not so I was little nervous to get out of my car,” explained Loe.

The bear was down along the side of the road with fatal injuries. Loe was not hurt, but her vehicle had some major damage.

CHP says crashes involving bears are rare, but do happen.

“They definitely run before the winter time more often. They’re collecting for the winter. With the weather changes coming up, they’re doing their thing and preparing for the winter,” said CHP Officer Donovan McCann. “It’s more likely to happen this time of year.”