YEAR: 2000

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: July

DATE: n/k

STATE: Florida

COUNTY: Suwannee County

LOCATION DETAILS: A major two-lane heading south probably southwest of Live Oak, FL.

NEAREST TOWN: Live Oak

NEAREST ROAD: Sorry, I do not remember

OBSERVED: About twelve years ago we were on a very remote and desolate stretch of highway, southeast of Live Oak, Florida, headed south. It was about 1:15 AM. There were four of us in an older model Monte Carlo pulling a Coleman travel trailer loaded with cave diving gear, (probably weighing in around eight-hundred pounds gross). A Tennessee State Trooper was driving and I was shotgun. The two men in the back were asleep. Suddenly, right out of nowhere, (with only our headlights for illumination), a tall, huge “black form” rushed from the right edge of the roadway and came toward us, (in a perpendicular path as if to cross the highway). It was so quick that the driver had no reaction time whatsoever!
While the car missed this erect, but stooped, huge black form the trailer obviously got it. The trailer sounded as if it had exploded and I saw, in the glow of our brake lights, that the entire trailer became airborne and went about as high as the roof of the car! “What did we hit?” was the question yelled by the sleepy owner. The other sleepy passenger yelled, “What the hell?” The trooper calmly looked over at me and in an astounded voice asked, “What the hell was that? Did you see that?” I replied quietly, “I saw that and I have no idea what that was!” The owner asked from the back seat, “Was it a bear? I’ll bet it was a bear!” The trooper, in total agreement with me replied, “I don’t think so. It was too big!”
Well, all the while we had been braking to a stop. We all got out, checked out the trailer, checked the passenger side of the car, looked for a corpse, looked for blood, looked for hair, but found nothing at all! The best I remember we even turned around and drove back past the point of impact but saw nothing!
It will be passed off as a bear, (I am certain), but I do not believe a bear could possibly be that big, move that fast, or suffer that kind of impact without being injured. (Just my opinion) I have never thought about this being a bigfoot until a year or so ago and then it all sort of began coming together for me. (Whatever it was, it was huge, black, fast and one tough son-of-a-gun!)

ALSO NOTICED: Just the fact that there was so much energy in the impact to find no corpse, no blood and no hair!

OTHER WITNESSES: Four, though only two of us saw anything.

OTHER STORIES: None, sorry.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: About 1:15 AM. Hot and clear.

ENVIRONMENT: Woods on both sides of road with very few homes.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Marian Gant:

NC and three friends were heading south past Live Oak at approximately 1 am and later confirmed with one of the friends that they were on US 129. They were in a 1970's era Monte Carlo pulling a Coleman camper filled with diving equipment. NC estimated the equipment weighed between 800 and 1000 lbs.

The road was a two lane highway with wide shoulders. Both sides were forested. There were no dwellings or street lights in the area so it was very dark even though the weather was clear.

NC was a passenger in the front. The driver was a Tennessee State Trooper. The owner of the car and another individual were asleep in the back seat.

NC said the headlights suddenly picked up something huge and black coming at them from the right side of the road. It looked to be running on two feet and hunched over "like someone does when they are running full out". It was taller than the car.

He believes it was already in motion when they saw it. The car passed before it reached them and it ran into the camper behind.

NC said the impact with the camper shifted the car, waking the individuals in the back seat. Through the side mirror, he saw the taillights of the trailer go up off the ground before it crashed down again.

They immediately stopped and backed up. There was nothing laying on the road or alongside it. They got out to inspect the camper. There was no sign of impact, nothing was dented or broken. They did not see blood or hair on the camper or the road.

NC said that he is familiar with bears and both he and the driver agreed it did not look like one. The individuals in the back were sleeping at the time of impact so did not see anything.

NC has not had contact with the driver for many years and believes he has since retired from the force. He is going to try to locate him and give him my email address if he agrees to talk to me.

About BFRO Investigator Marian Gant:

Computer consultant and web developer, Marian has experience working with computer graphics and digital manipulation. She has attended the 2009 Central Florida Expedition, the 2011 North Florida Expedition and several private expeditions.

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