Woman, toddler killed near Murphys when car collides with black bear

A woman and a toddler were killed Thanksgiving evening when their car hit a black bear on Highway 4 west of Murphys.

The 27-year-old woman was driving a Subaru westbound on Highway 4 at about 6 p.m. with a 19-month-old girl and 4-year-old boy in the back seat, according to the California Highway Patrol.

They had just passed Holiday Mine road when they hit an approximately 350 pound black bear. The force of the impact with the bear caused major intrusions into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, according to the CHP.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The 19-month-old was taken by helicopter to a hospital in San Andreas where she was pronounced dead.

The 4-year-old was taken by helicopter to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento with minor injuries. He was released later that night.

The bear also died.

The names of the woman and children involved have not been released because next of kin had not been notified as of Friday.

Drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors in the collision.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Woman, toddler killed near Murphys when car collides with black bear."