Early Saturday morning, a large black bear was struck by an SUV after coming out of the woods in the South Point area.

Unfortunately, due to suffering internal injuries, officials had to put the bear down shortly after.

First responders should be commended for their efforts in handling the situation and rerouting traffic from the area.

However, sightseers parked along the road and got out on foot to try to get a glimpse of the animal.

This not only complicated things for first responders, but could have potentially put those sightseers in danger as well.

It is worth remembering that a 300-pound bear is a wild animal and, when injured or cornered, is not going to react well to humans coming close, hoping to take a photo on their cell phones.

As is the case in any emergency situation, it is best to leave the scene to first responders and let them do their job. These personnel are trained for situations of this nature and random passersby getting involved stand a great chance of impeding their efforts and putting more people in unnecessary danger.