I was headed home with my kids from Hendersonville last night - going 60+ on I-26 - when a huge black bear jumped over the median and landed right in front of our car. We hit it head on, airbags deployed, car is totaled and somehow we walked away without a scratch.

But here’s the crazy thing, the tow driver said it was the 5th black bear accident on that stretch of 26 this week. This week!!

If you know Asheville then you know we have all this great public land surrounding the city but wildlife gets funneled into a very small corridor between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the French Broad River. That’s where all these accidents are happening.

The bear we hit was estimated to be 400 lbs. It was mortally wounded and put to rest at the scene. I don’t want to think about it, but a second earlier or later and our outcome would have been much worse. If we put up wildlife fencing and/or a migration tunnel/bridge through that section it will save the lives of animals and humans.

I feel like my family walked away from this accident so that we could help protect other families and wildlife in our community. These projects can take a long time to assess, plan, implement. But the time to start is now.

If you are in support of safer passageways for humans and Wildlife in Asheville, please consider signing and sharing this petition.

Signed: Jennifer Pharr Davis - Mother, Author, National Geographic Adventurer and Member of the Presidents Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition