Totaled Toyota

Waterton, Alberta, Canada, November 2011
The owner of this 18-month-old Toyota Sequoia found it trashed. A Grizzly bear had somehow got a door open, and once inside got trapped when the door shut behind him.

All the door panels were ripped off, the headliner torn to pieces; all headrests, the leather seats, the dash shredded. The steering column was twisted sideways. Two of the six airbags went off, the other four the bear ripped to pieces.

Imagine a trapped Grizzly being hit with an airbag, in an enclosed space - must have figured he was in for the fight of his life. When the bear ripped off the door panels, he clawed all the wiring harnesses out.

Toyota figures every wire he pulled or clawed at resulted in bells, voices or sparks.

The head mechanic at Calgary Toyota doubted if they had the expertise to put it back together. To add insult to injury, the bear left a smelly surprise package in the back of the SUV, and then broke the rear window.

Fish and Wildlife officers have inspected the damage and figure it was a 3-year-old Grizzly. They’re doing DNA Testing from the blood left behind. The vehicle has been written off: they stopped counting repair costs at $60k (a new one is > $70k).