COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Wildlife agents have killed a bear believed to have chased a pregnant woman onto the road, where she was then struck by a hit-and run driver.

Ashley Swendsen, 26, suffered minor injuries but her fiancee took her to the hospital as a precaution.

Swendsen was walking on a bike path near Woodmen Road and Interstate 25 at about noon when she spotted the bear.

"I was crossing under the highway and there was a rustling in the stream and I looked back and there was a bear two feet behind me," Swendsen said. "I didn't know what to do so I kept walking and it started following me. And then I started running because I was freaked out, I didn't know what to do. And it started chasing me and so I started screaming."

She scrambled up to Vincent Road and while trying to cross the street to get back to her home, she was struck by a car.

"The bumper of the car hit my left thigh and I kind of rolled off of it," Swendsen said.

The driver asked Swendsen, who is nearly six months pregnant, if she was alright before she took off. Police are trying to locate that driver, described as an elderly woman in a black car.

After Division of Wildlife agents received a call about the noon run-in, they pursued the bear and tranquilized it.

Wildlife agents took a picture of the bear to Swendsen and she confirmed that it was the same bear that had chased her. They then killed the female, 230-pound black bear for showing aggressive behavior.

If she hadn't identified the bear, the bear would have been released.

"This is open space and there's a lot of bears in the area," DOW spokesman Michael Seraphin said. "We do not want to put down the wrong suspected bear."

The area is near an old historic bridge and the walking path is near a drainage ditch popular with several kinds of wildlife, Seraphin said. Area manager Shaun Deeney told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the Cottonwood Creek area is "bear heaven" and bears have just started to come out of hibernation.

The DOW believes the bear started chasing her because she was running, a natural instinct on its part.

The DOW advises hikers and walkers to reduce their chances of surprising a bear on the trail by making noise, talking or singing.

If you do see a bear, the DOW advises:

Stay calm. If you see a bear and it has not seen you, calmly leave the area. As you move away, make noise to let the bear discover your presence.

Stop. Back away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct eye contact, as bears may perceive this as a threat.

Give the bear plenty of room to escape. Bears rarely attack people unless they feel threatened or provoked.

Do not run. If on a trail, step off the trail on the downhill side and slowly leave the area. Do not run or make any sudden movements. Running is likely to prompt the bear to give chase, and you cannot outrun a bear.

Speak softly. This may reassure the bear that you mean it no harm. Try not to show fear.

Fight back. If a black bear attacks you, fight back. Black bears have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands.