Victim dies in car crash, body found by a bear

GREENFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The victim in a fatal vehicle accident on I-91 in Hatfield Sunday has been identified. 31 year old Daniel Ducharme of South Hadley was the sole occupant of the Honda Civic State Troopers located partially in the woods in the area of the 30.8 mile marker with Ducharme found outside of the vehicle. The accident is still under investigation, but officials say a bear was observed in the area of the vehicle and evidence suggests the bear had made contact with the victim’s body.

From the Massachusetts State Police:

At 11:06 AM yesterday (Sunday, May 5, 2024), a motorist on Route 91 south in Hatfield observed a partially obscured vehicle in the woods on the side of the road in the area of the 30.8-mile marker and called State Police. Responding Troopers from the Northampton Barracks located a heavily damaged 2016 Honda Civic in the woods amid several trees.

When first responders reached the scene, the deceased male occupant of the vehicle was outside the car and a bear was observed in the woods in the vicinity of the scene. Evidence suggests the bear at some point had made contact with the victim’s body.

Preliminary investigation suggests that at some point within the previous few hours, the Honda was traveling south on Route 91. For reasons still under investigation, the operator lost control of the car, struck the guardrail multiple times, and went off the roadway to the right. The vehicle traveled down an embankment, entered the wood line, and struck several trees.

Evidence and observations at the scene suggest that the man was most likely deceased as a result of the crash and was either fully ejected or partially ejected and later dragged from the car by the bear. The bear left the area while responders were on scene.

The victim, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, is identified as Daniel Ducharme, 31, of South Hadley.

The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the State Police-Northampton Barracks, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Detective Unit for Hampshire/Franklin Counties.