REGINA, ALBERTA, FIREFIGHTER KEN HAUCK, 50, was just out for a ride, enjoying the air on his motorcycle Tuesday.  Hauck and some friends were on a 5-day bike trip and he was using his Harley-Davidson.  “It was brand new,” he said of his bike. “And it was probably the last hour of our trip and we had the ride of our life.”

While cruising down Highway 93 near Lake Louise, Alta., at about 55 mph, a 6-yr.-old grizzly bear jumped into the roadway and ran toward the motorcycle.  “It came out at full speed,” Hauck said.  “I hit him smack-dab in the middle and was launched (like) Superman over the handle bars and flew about 60 metres.  I thought there would be some give, but it was like hitting a concrete barrier.”

The resulting collision sent Hauck sailing into the air and a quick return to the pavement, leaving him with a badly shattered arm and a damaged vertebrae.  He’s out of the hospital, but is facing a 6-month recovery period.

The bear got the worst of it, though.  It’s dead.

Firefighter Hauck steps outside the ER
to display his wounds for Canadian Press

The Edmonton Sun has the full STORY.

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