Victim dragged from car wreckage by bear after fatal crash in Hatfield, police say

A man died in a car crash Sunday in Hatfield, and police said a bear later dragged his body from the vehicle.

State Police were called to a stretch of Interstate 91 in Hatfield, which is north of Springfield, just after 11 a.m. Sunday after a passing driver saw a partially obscured vehicle in the woods on the side of the road. Troopers found a heavily damaged 2016 Honda Civic.

Daniel Ducharme, 31, of South Hadley, was found dead at the scene. He was the sole occupant of the Honda.

First responders found Ducharme’s body outside the vehicle and observed a bear in the woods nearby. They found evidence that the bear made contact with Ducharme’s body at some point after the crash, officials said.

Investigators believe that Ducharme was driving south on I-91 sometime Sunday morning when he lost control of the car. It struck a guardrail multiple times, veered off the roadway, went down an embankment, and hit several trees. The reason he lost control of the car is still under investigation.

He most likely died from the crash and was “either fully ejected or partially ejected and later dragged from the car by the bear,” police said. The bear was seen leaving the area while responders were at the crash site.

An investigation is ongoing.