PETERSHAM — A 71-year-old man from Orange was injured Saturday morning when the motorcycle he was operating collided with a bear on New Salem Road (Route 122).
According to a statement from Petersham Police Chief Peter Buck, the operator was traveling north on the highway when his motorcycle struck an adult bear weighing approximately 160 pounds. The man was thrown from the motorcycle. The State Police’s New Braintree Dispatch Center received a call reporting the crash at 10:08 a.m.
Buck and Petersham Fire Chief Bob Legare responded. While caring for the injured man, they were joined by members of the Petersham Fire Department and Athol Fire and EMS.
The patient was transported to a landing zone at Petersham Center School and airlifted 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 by Dale’s Towing & Auto Repair of Athol, and the bear, which was killed, was removed by Massachusetts Environmental Police, according to Buck.
Buck thanked the Petersham Police Department, Petersham Fire Department, Athol Fire Department and EMS, the New Salem Police Department, the Orange Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and their dispatchers, Massachusetts Environmental Police and UMass LifeFlight for their assistance.