We're going on a bear shunt: Speeding motorcyclist hits black bear at 87mph

Footage shows view from the biker's helmet as he is thrown from the vehicle

Dramatic video footage has emerged showing a speeding biker hitting a black bear on a Canadian highway.

The video shows the biker accelerating to 87mph (140kph) in less than 20 seconds on Highway 7 near Hope, British Columbia.

A train is seen entering the peripheral view of the camera. Shortly afterwards a bear, presumably spooked by the passing train, is seen running in front of the bike and colliding with the oncoming bike.

The footage shows the view from the biker's helmet as he is thrown from the vehicle.

According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) the incident occurred on Highway 7 on June 30, 2013. After ensuring the biker received medical attention the RCMP officer recovered the helmet and camera. To their surprise police watching the video observed the motorcycle going for 0 km/h to over 140km/h in less than 20 seconds.

Corporal Robert McDonald of E Division Traffic Services warned bikers about the dangers of travelling at high speeds: "We've spoken in the past about motorcycle stunts and how dangerous they are; we always say you never know what could happen at high speeds.

"This is a perfect example. The video clearly shows nobody else on the road, and a nice clear dry day. Who would expect a bear to run across the road?"

In their investigation police cited excessive speed as one of the factors in the accident, with distracted driving being the other.

The report comments that the driver was clearly focused on capturing the speed on his odometer, and did not notice the bear until it was half way across the oncoming lane of traffic.

"We hope this short video will help people realize the importance of slowing down, and concentrating on the complicated task of driving a motor vehicle, says Cpl. McDonald.

While motorists don't often need to avoid bears, every day drivers may need to react to events such as dogs running out suddenly in front of their vehicle, or a cyclist swerving to avoid something, or even a child running out of a driveway."

The biker involved in the incident suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the accident.

The bear walked away unscathed.