A mother and her toddler were killed in a tragic Thanksgiving accident when their car collided with a bear in California.
Sarah Rohde, 27, was driving with her 19-month-old daughter, Ariana, in Calaveras County just after 6pm when the crash happened.
The bear was thrown over the hood of Rohde’s Subaru Impreza and flew through the windshield, according to Kevin Raggio with the Calaveras County coroner.
Both Rohde and her daughter were killed, as well as the bear, in the evening crash. Rhode’s 4-year-old son, Julian, was also in the car. He survived the crash and was taken to UC Medical Center.
Sarah Rohde, 27, pictured with her daughter Ariana, they both died in a tragic Thanksgiving accident after their car struck a bear
The bear flew over the car’s hood and went through the windshield of their car, killing the bear as well
The mother was pronounced dead on the scene, while her daughter was pronounced dead in Mark Twain Medical Center in San Andreas, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Rohde’s mother, Tracy Browning, told KCRA ‘She was the best mom any child could ever ask for, and she was the best daughter,’ adding ‘She was my rock, and I was her rock too.’
‘I’m having a hard time, questioning God about this. I really am,’ Browning said.
Rohde worked for Tuolumne County as a extreme tour guide at Mercer Caverns in Murphys, her family said.
Family members say they would like to make a roadside memorial for the mother and her little girl.
Bear accidents in Calaveras County have risen along with the bear population.
‘The bear population is growing and I don’t see it stopping. There are going to be more wrecks,’ Calaveras Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Severud said to KCRA.